NAIROBI, (Reuters) – Kenya’s feuding parties agreed on Friday to a four-point framework for talks they expect will resolve a violent political crisis within 15 days, chief mediator and former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said. “We believe within 7 to 15 days, we should be able to tackle the first three agenda items,” Annan told reporters. “The first is to take immediate action to stop the violence.”
At least 850 people have been killed in riots and ethnically motivated violence in Kenya since a disputed Dec. 27 election returned President Mwai Kibaki to power.
The points the parties need to agree on include: the action needed to stop the violence, how to provide humanitarian aid to those affected by it, resolving the immediate political crisis and a longer-term solution, which Annan said should be agreed within a year.