Ban Ki-moon urges accelerated progress in Kenyan talks

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today strongly urged the parties to Kenya's national dialogue and reconciliation talks, who are locked in a dispute over the outcome of December's presidential elections, to take the necessary steps to reach an immediate solution to the ongoing crisis.

“It is critical that the two sides maintain the positive momentum,” Mr. Ban's spokesperson said in a statement. “It is also critical that the two leaders exercise their responsibility to the people of Kenya who continue to suffer amid this volatile situation.”

In the statement the Secretary-General also expressed gratitude for the “continuing and tireless” facilitation efforts of the mediation panel, led by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Some 1,000 people have already lost their lives and more than 300,000 others have been driven from their homes since disputed elections in which President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner over opposition leader Raila Odinga.