Kenya Rivals Vow to End Dispute After Face-to-face Meeting

The bitter rivals in Kenya's disputed presidential election met today for the first time since the election and agreed to end the dispute that has led to widespread bloodshed.

The president, Mwai Kibaki, and the opposition leader, Raila Odinga, talked for about an hour, shook hands afterwards, and then made conciliatory statements to the press.

"Today we have taken the first few steps in resolving the electoral dispute and conflict. I pledge to all Kenyans that my team and I will spare no effort to resolve this crisis," Odinga said.

Kibaki vowed to "personally lead" the country in promoting unity, tolerance, peace and harmony among Kenyans.

But he made a point of saying he had been sworn in as president, an indication he did not view his position negotiable.

The breakthrough came after the intervention of the former UN secretary general Kofi Annan, who was at today's meeting.

He said the two leaders had taken "fair steps" towards dialog, according to dialog.

Kibaki and Odinga also agreed to set up a judicial commission to investigate vote-rigging allegations, following separate meetings yesterday with Uganda's president, Yoweri Museveni. But they have yet to agree on the composition of such a commission.

Kibaki had previously insisted on direct talks with Odinga, who refused to meet without a mediator.

Straight after the December 27 election, Odinga said he would only talk with Kibaki if the president admitted he had lost.

Yesterday, Odinga agreed to call off a rally that was due to take place today. Annan met each of them and persuaded them to meet today.

The government says 685 people have been killed and some 255,000 forced from their homes by the post-election violence.

Today's meeting comes a week after one of Kibaki's key ministerial allies said Annan had not been invited to Kenya. After the remark Annan postponed his visit, citing a "severe illness".

Annan agreed to head a panel on Kenya after failed attempts by the Ghanaian and African Union president, John Kufuor, to mediate.

Human rights campaigners have accused officials from Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement of leading ethnic violence in the western Rift Valle. New York-based Human Rights Watch said it had evidence that party officials "actively fomented" attacks around the city of Eldoret, where many of the bloodiest attacks took place.

It warned that more attacks were being planned against Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe. The ODM has denied the charges. Human Rights Watch, citing interviews with members of the Kalenjin people native to the area, said: "Opposition party officials and local elders planned and organized ethnic-based violence in the Rift Valley.

"[They] arranged frequent meetings following the election to organize, direct and facilitate the violence unleashed by gangs of local youth."

Georgette Gagnon, Human Rights Watch's acting Africa director, said: "Opposition leaders are right to challenge Kenya's rigged presidential poll, but they can't use it as an excuse for targeting ethnic groups."

William Ruto, a senior figure who represents a constituency in the Rift Valley, denied the charge. "For my constituency, nothing, absolutely nothing could be further from the truth.

"There was, to the best of my knowledge, no organization that could put together the kind of logistics that could enable the kind of violence that we saw in that part of the world."

Both sides have accused each other over the violence.