KENYA: POLITICS - European Union Aid Commissioner meets Kenya opposition leader Raila Odinga

Record ID: 360868

  • Title: KENYA: POLITICS - European Union Aid Commissioner meets Kenya opposition leader Raila Odinga
  • Date: 21st January 2008
  • Summary: (EU) NAIROBI, KENYA (JANUARY 19, 2008) (REUTERS) EUROPEAN UNION COMMISSIONER, LOUIS MICHEL AND OPPOSITION LEADER, RAILA ODINGA (WITH OTHER OFFICIALS) WALK OUT OF HOTEL NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ORANGE DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT (ODM) OFFICIAL, WILLIAM RUTO, SAYING: "We haven't as a party discussed any sanctions with any group. It is not for us to tell the internati
  • Embargoed: 5th February 2008 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA35ANLYTGC9C1H5GLWYBIPQZ2U
  • Story Text: Kenya's opposition met with European Union (EU) Aid Commissioner Louis Michel in Nairobi on Saturday (January 19) in a mission to assess the situation after last month's disputed election.
    No statement has so far been made on the discussions between opposition leader Raila Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party and Michel.
    The EU had earlier said it was reviewing its relations with Kenya, and studying which actions to take if current African mediation efforts fail.
    The European Parliament said on Thursday the bloc should freeze budgetary aid to Kenya until the crisis was solved.
    The opposition had last week called for sanctions on President Mwai Kibaki's government. They say Kibaki stole the election, and could not be trusted with the country's resources but on Saturday said they could not influence such a decision.

    "We haven't as a party discussed any sanctions with any group. It is not for us to tell the international community which sanctions to apply.
    It's not in the domain of ODM to ask any country to deal with Kenya in a certain way and we have no influence in any way the discussions about sanctions in our country," said one of ODM's top officials, William Ruto.
    About 650 people have been killed since Kibaki won a disputed Dec. 27 election, mostly in police action against banned protests and attacks on tribes seen as backing him.
    ODM later said it would resume protests next week, just having finished three days of demonstrations in which at least 23 died.

    "On Thursday we will hold our next set of peaceful rallies through out the country in our continuing campaign to get the government to address the electoral crisis whose existence the government refuses to acknowledge even as it deals through the use of brute force upon innocent protesters," said ODM chairman, Henry Kosgey.
    The decision came as a reversal after opposition leader Raila Odinga on Friday said his Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) would take its fight off the streets and use other channels, including talks with African leaders and economic boycotts.
    The protests are a high-stakes tactic to pressure the government, already being threatened with aid cuts after images of police shooting and beating protesters drew widespread criticism. The government has rebuffed the threat.
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