Kenya's Kibaki takes tough line, AU divided

By Barry Moody

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki took an uncompromising line over the turmoil in his country at a regional summit on Friday and diplomats said Africa was divided over the continent's most pressing crisis.

Speakers on the first day of an African Union summit on Thursday called for urgent action to stop post-election turmoil that has killed 850 people, stepping up the pressure on Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga to find a negotiated solution to the crisis.

But in two speeches on Friday, to the summit and a separate meeting of the east African regional grouping IGAD, Kibaki repeatedly attacked the opposition and stuck to positions that have already been rejected by Odinga.

He said he had been elected by a majority of Kenyans, firmly put the blame for the deaths on Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and said the dispute must be settled by Kenya's courts.

Odinga says Kibaki stole the December 27 election and refuses to accept him as president. He rejects a solution through the courts, saying they are stacked with Kibaki allies and would take years to issue a ruling.

He also accuses the police of killing at least 100 protesters.

The ODM fiercely protested when Kibaki described himself as Kenya's duly elected president at the first meeting between him and Odinga after the election.

Western diplomats in Addis Ababa said Kibaki seemed to be taking a tougher line than on Thursday in resisting pressure to be more conciliatory.

In addition, the 53 members of the AU seemed divided on the issue.

"There are divisions between one group who see themselves in Kibaki's situation and another that has told him in no uncertain terms that this is not acceptable," said one Western diplomat, adding that South Africa was in the latter group.

Pretoria says Kenya's crisis will be a disaster for the continent if not resolved quickly.

United Nations chief Ban Ki-Moon went to Nairobi direct from the Addis Ababa summit on Friday to support mediation led by his predecessor, Kofi Annan.

Outgoing AU chairman John Kufuor, Ghana's president, told reporters Kibaki should work with Annan to end the crisis.

"I appeal to (Kibaki) to cooperate with Kofi Anan so normalcy will be achieved quickly. The African Union is not taking sides. The AU hasn't taken sides and is standing firm behind Kofi Annan to try to achieve mutually acceptable rule".

But in his speech to the AU, Kibaki -- who has resisted outside involvement in the crisis -- described Annan's efforts as a "facilitation" mission rather than mediation . "This is first and foremost a Kenyan problem," he said.