Nairobi: Kenya's President invited his chief rival to his official residence for talks today to discuss ending the political and ethnic violence that has already killed some 500 people.

Hours before the invitation was announced by President Mwai Kibaki's office, opposition leader Raila Odinga, saying he wanted to give mediation a chance, called off mass nationwide rallies to protest Kibaki's disputed re-election, amid fears they could ignite new bloodletting. The signs of softening by both sides came after three days of talks with the top US diplomat for Africa. Ghana s President John Kufuor, the current chairman of the African Union, was scheduled to begin mediating as early as Wednesday. Kufuor's trip had been repeatedly delayed as the government rejected outside mediation.

Meanwhile, reports continued coming in of killings in the countryside linked to the disputed results. An official in neighbouring Uganda said today that 30 people trying to flee western Kenya were thrown into the border river by attackers, and were presumed drowned.

Ugandan border official Himbaza Hashaka said two Ugandan drivers of the truck in which the group was travelling reported that they were stopped Saturday at a roadblock mounted by vigilantes who identified those trying to flee as belonging to Kibaki s Kikuyu tribe and threw them into the deep, swift-flowing Kipkaren River. He said the drivers said none survived.

Source : PTI