Nairobi: Kenyan opposition chief Raila Odinga said in a CNN interview broadcast today that he would ask President Mwai Kibaki to "quit gracefully" if they meet face-to-face to end a political crisis in the country.

Mediation efforts by African Union chairman John Kufuor failed but he left Nairobi last week stating that the two rivals had agreed to work with a panel, led by former UN chief Kofi Annan, "towards resolving their differences."

It remains unclear, however, just what Annan's role would be, with Kibaki rejecting the idea of outside mediation and the Odinga insisting on it before any talks occur.

"I will tell him, because he is my friend, that my friend, you lost an election, you need to leave a legacy in this country, you have been around for a very long time, please leave a legacy of a gentleman who lost an election and agreed to quit gracefully," Odinga said.

Odinga has accused Kibaki of rigging the December 27 polls, and news of the president's re-election sparked nationwide rioting that rapidly descended into tribal clashes, leaving at least 700 people dead and displaced nearly 260,000.

International pressure is growing on Kibaki and Odinga to break the deadlock and drop all preconditions for face-to-face talks, as fears of more violence mount as the opposition plans to go ahead with three days of demonstrations beginning Wednesday despite a government ban.

Source : PTI