Official: Kenya Peace Talks Closer To Deal

A top African Union official said Friday he was satisfied with talks between Kenya's rival politicians to end the country's deadly post-election crisis, even as the opposition leader unexpectedly left the country and his party accused the government of stonewalling.

Talks between negotiators for President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga continued Friday after a delay of several hours that Odinga's party called a government attempt to buy time. A day earlier, it appeared the two sides were edging toward a power-sharing deal.

Still, Jean Ping, chairman of the African Union Commission, the AU's executive body, said the talks were promising.

"We are satisfied with the process made on the Kenya national dialogue and reconciliation," Ping said. He added: "I have an impression that we are moving, and the weekend will be crucial."

Meanwhile, Odinga left Kenya for an unexpected, one-day trip to Nigeria. It wasn't clear whether the trip would disrupt the talks.

The Dec. 27 election returned Kibaki to power for a second five-year term after Odinga's lead in early vote counting evaporated overnight. The ensuing violence has stirred up ethnic grievances over land and poverty that have bedeviled Kenya since independence in 1963. More than 1,000 people have been killed.

On Thursday, a deal seemed imminent as the government tentatively agreed to create a prime minister's post to be filled by the opposition. Government negotiator Mutula Kilonzo said a political deal was expected Friday after weeks of international pressure on both sides to share power.

"I am beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel," former U.N. chief Kofi Annan, who has been mediating in the political negotiations, said in a statement Thursday.

Talks continued Friday after a delay of several hours because the government negotiators failed to show up on time. Odinga's party said the government was procrastinating and playing "obvious time-buying games." It also repeated calls for mass protests unless talks produce tangible moves toward power-sharing by Wednesday.

But by midday, negotiators from both sides were seen arriving at the luxury hotel where they have been trying to strike a deal.

In Nigeria, Information Minister John Odey said he was unaware of Odinga's visit, indicating that the trip's purpose wasn't likely to have been officially sanctioned by the government. The presidential spokesman wasn't immediately available for comment.

Nigeria, an African military and diplomatic powerhouse, isn't known to be involved in mediation efforts in Kenya.

A think tank said Thursday that armed groups on opposing sides of the political and ethnic strife in Kenya are mobilizing for new attacks and serious violence could erupt again if peace talks fail.

"Calm has partly returned but the situation remains highly volatile," the Brussels, Belgium-based International Crisis Group said in a report. "Armed groups are still mobilizing on both sides."

Talks between Kibaki and Odinga have focused on how to create a broader-based government to end the crisis. In particular, Odinga and his backers have demanded that the president share power.

The country remains caught between a desire to move on from waves of ethnic attacks and a fear that any compromise could spark new fighting.

Much of the bloodshed has pitted other ethnic groups against Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe, long resented for dominating politics and the economy.