Kenyan Nobel Peace Laureate Wangari Maathai on Tuesday called for dialogue between rival political leaders in the east African nation in a bid to reduce tension created by last week's historic referendum.

Addressing a news conference in Nairobi, Maathai called on political leaders to refrain from using provocative language that may cause tension in the east African nation.

The 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner said leaders should now come together and dialogue for the sake of the nation, insisting that the dialogue should be organized in the spirit of reconciliation.

"Now is the time for leaders to come together and dialogue to seek consensus. They must now remove the barrier which divided Kenyans and now threatens justice and security," the former deputy minister for environment told reporters.

Maathai, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for her exemplary environmental conservation work in Kenya, urged the critics of the now rejected charter, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), to stop politicizing the constitution making process.

She said leaders should put Kenya first and leave personal ambitions with an aim of engaging in constructive discussions.

"It is time for restraint. The ongoing exchanges, threats, demands and war of words between the Orange and Banana camps are not conducive for reconciliation and national healing, which we all need at this trying time," she cautioned.

Her comments come as political temperature is rising in Kenya following calls for dissolution of parliament and snap elections by the Orange group, saying last week's humiliating government- backed charter defeat was a vote of no confidence in President Mwai Kibaki's government.

The Orange group has also called for a series of nationwide rallies starting on 10 December.

But the government on Sunday banned opposition rallies and rejected calls for new elections.

Vice President Moody Awori said any public demonstration in support of snap polls would be seen as a "threat to national security".

The opposition leaders have vowed to continue protest rallies demanding new elections in defiance of a government ban on their assemblies.

The government's warning follows Saturday's rally in the capital Nairobi celebrating the victory of the referendum "No" vote in which thousands of opposition supporters renewed calls for snap elections.

Awori said the rejection of the constitutional reforms was not grounds for new elections and said the French and Dutch governments had not resigned after losing referendums this year.

Analysts say the rejection of the draft charter was a no confidence vote in Kibaki and his government which has been widely criticized for not following through on reform promises they made when elected in 2002.

But the VP said the government has made it clear that the result of the referendum was not necessarily an assessment of its performance.

Analysts also say many Kenyans used the referendum to protest against what they see as President Kibaki's "poor performance" since he was elected three years ago.

The president, who had led the "Yes" campaign, has refused to dissolve parliament, saying the referendum was not a no-confidence vote.

Last week, Kibaki sacked his entire cabinet and postponed this week's scheduled re-opening of parliament in a bid to re-assert political authority after the defeat.

Source: Xinhua