The United States said on Thursday that it welcomed efforts by the African Union to put an end to Kenya's political crisis resulted from great disputes between the country's government and opposition parities over general elections.
Speaking to reporters at a news briefing, deputy State Department spokesman Tom Casey said the U.S. government welcomed the appointment of a panel of African leaders, led by ex-U.N. chief Kofi Anna.
"We appreciated the efforts of the AU to help try and bring about a resolution of the political differences between the parties and certainly includes this eminent persons group as well," he said.
The African Union is trying to encourage talks between Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and his rival opposition leader, Raila Odinga.
African Union Chairman John Kufuor said Thursday that the two sides had agreed to put a stop to the bloodshed, which has claimed at least 486 lives since the disputed election result.
"What that shows is part of a broader international effort to again try and promote a political compromise and a settlement to differences between the parties," Casey said.
U.S. top envoy for Africa Jendayi Frazer, who was sent to Nairobi late last week to help defuse the political crisis there, met with Odinga and Kufour Thursday in another effort to broker a compromise deal.
Kibaki was sworn in as president in Nairobi on Dec. 30, 2007, barely an hour after the Electoral Commission of Kenya declared him the winner of the presidential elections.
Odinga rejected Kibaki's re-election as fraudulent and called for fresh elections after the disputed presidential poll sparked days of violence.
Source:Xinhua
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