Kenya misses slot in key AU team

President Mwai Kibaki accompanied by Internal Security Minister who is also the acting Foreign Minister Prof George Saitoti during the opening of the African Union summit in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia on January 30, 2011. PHOTO / PPS 

By Charles Omondi comondi@ke.nationmedia.com and Argaw Ashine nationaddis@gmail.com in Addis AbabaPosted Monday, January 31 2011 at 21:00

In Summary

• Eastern region’s Igad settled for Tanzania to be on the African Union High-Level Panel that will address Cote d’Ivoire poll dispute

Kenya on Monday failed to secure a seat on the African Union High-Level Panel to tackle the Cote d’Ivoire crisis.

The team will comprise Heads of State from South Africa, Tanzania, Chad, Burkina Faso and Mauritania, plus AU Commission and the West African regional bloc Ecowas.

It was a major blow to the Kenyan delegation to the Addis Ababa Heads of State and Government meeting in which the country was believed to have two major agendas on its plate.

In addition to mediating in the Ivorian crisis, where Kenya Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s efforts hit a brick wall, the East African state came to the Assembly of the African Union 16th Ordinary Session with the hope of winning over other African states to support its bid on the deferral of the trial of six suspected sponsors of 2007 post-election violence.

The selection of the High-Level Panel members was based on the continent’s five regional blocs, with Eastern region’s Igad settling for Tanzania, at the expense of Kenya and Djibouti, the two other candidates.

The AU Peace and Security Council, at its 259th meeting held on January 28, 2011, at the level of the Heads of State and Government, re-affirmed its recognition of Mr Alassane Ouattara as Cote d’Ivoire’s president-elect from the election held on November 28, 2010.

The AU decision was arrived at on the basis of the results certified by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and endorsed by Ecowas, AU and the UN.

The incumbent, Mr Laurent Gbagbo, has, however, refused to hand over power.