Kenyan President holds talks with opposition leader

WATCH VIDEO

Source: CCTV.com | 01-25-2008 09:11

Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga have met for the first time since the December's disputed election.

Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki, centre,  shakes hands with opposition leader Raila Odinga as former U.N. secretary-general  Kofi Annan, left, applauds outside the  presidential office in Nairobi, Kenya,  Thursday, Jan. 24, 2008.  (AP Photo/Riccardo Gangale)

On Thursday, they were in the capital Nairobi along with former UN chief Kofi Annan.

This is the meeting observers believe is the first round, in efforts aimed at achieving political reconciliation in Kenya.

After their one-hour closed-door talks, Kibaki and Odinga met the public.

Both sides promise to seek an end to weeks of unrest through dialogue.

Raila Odinga, Leader of Orange Democratic Movement, said, "Today we have taken the first vital steps in resolving the electoral dispute and conflict that has ravaged this country for nearly a month now."

Kibaki has promised to personally lead Kenya to unity and peace.

Mwai Kibaki, Kenyan President, said, "As government we are determined to get to the underlying causes of these unprecedented events and to lead the nation in a process of healing reconciliation and lasting harmony."

The former UN chief Kofi Annan describes the meeting as encouraging.

Kofi Annan, Former UN Secretary General, said, "I think we begun to take fair steps towards a peaceful solution of the problem and as you can see the two leaders are here to underline their engagement to dialogue and to work together."

Kenya's Electoral Commission announced Kibaki won the country's presidential elections at the end of last month.

But the opposition party refused to accept the result, accusing the election as a fraud.

Widespread riots erupted afterwards in the East African country.

So far, about six hundred people have died and another two hundred thousand have been left homeless.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei