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Kenya's Government, Opposition Agree on Plan to End Violence


Kenya's government and main opposition party have agreed to take steps to try to end the post-election violence that has killed some 850 people.

Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Friday the sides agreed on a framework for the talks he is leading in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

Annan said the sides would discuss stopping the violence, the delivery of humanitarian aid and ending the political impasse. According to Annan, the sides believe they can deal with those items within 15 days.

He gave no details on how the sides would handle those problems or how long it would take them to deal with another agenda point, a long-term solution to Kenya's political tensions.

Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga accuses President Mwai Kibaki of rigging last month's presidential election. Protests that exploded after the election have since degenerated into tribal violence.

Violence Friday in western Kenya left at least 10 people dead, including a policeman attacked by a crowd in the village of Anaimoi, the hometown of an opposition lawmaker, David Too, who was shot dead on Thursday.

In Nairobi, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Kenyans to stop the violence. He urged Kenyan leaders to look past personal and partisan interests to resolve the bitter dispute over last month's presidential election.

In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Mr. Kibaki again called on the opposition to go to court if it wants to challenge the election results. The opposition has rejected that idea in the past, saying the courts are loaded with Mr. Kibaki's allies.

The president also accused the opposition of igniting Kenya's civil unrest. He insisted that the security situation in his country is "under control."

Some information for this report provided by AP, Reuters and AFP.

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