Kenyan government agrees in principle to creation of prime minister post

Posted by Sappho on February 21st, 2008 filed in Africa news and blogwatch

There’s hope, there are serious difficulties, and today there’s hope again for agreement between PNU and ODM negotiators.

Hopes of Kenya’s political rivals reaching a deal to end the country’s crisis heightened today with chief mediator Kofi Annan announcing that there was “finally light at the end of the tunnel”.

A statement from Mr Annan’s office said the parties had “largely agreed” the structure of a coalition government.

At the same time, the US offered an optimistic assessment of the status of talks between President Kibaki’s Party of National Unity and Mr Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Party….

A US State Department spokesman predicts an agreement “in the next few days.” Annan’s mediation effort is said to be focusing now on the creation of a prime minister post.

Government and ODM negotiators in the Kofi Annan-led talks were Wednesday evening on the verge of reaching agreement on the creation of a prime minister’s post.

But they were yet to agree on exactly what powers and responsibilities the holder of the office should have.

Meanwhile, displaced populations are on the move and an emergency volunteer scheme for Kenya has been launched.