Kenya: Annan’s mission in Kenya pleases UN chief

(SomaliNet) A United Nations spokesperson said on Thursday that UN chief Ban Ki-moon has voiced strong support for efforts by his predecessor Kofi Annan to mediate an end to Kenya\'s political crisis spawned by a disputed presidential election.

The Un spokesperson, Marie Okabe told reporters that Ban had spoken to Annan by telephone on Thursday and \"expressed strong support for his mission in Kenya\".

Kenya\'s rival leaders - President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga - agreed on Thursday to work with an Annan-led panel to end the crisis that has claimed hundreds of lives, the head of the African Union (AU) and Ghanaian President John Kufuor said.

Kufuor made the announcement in Nairobi before returning home following the failure of AU-mediated talks to resolve the political crisis.

Kenya\'s opposition blamed Kibaki for the failure.

Odinga, who says Kibaki robbed him of the presidency by rigging the December 27 polls, has refused to sit down one-on-one unless the president acknowledges he cheated and steps down.-AFP