(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-02-01 15:51

NAIROBI - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Kenyan capital Nairobi Friday to help bolster the African Union-mediated talks between Kenya's feuding parties.

Ban who arrived in the country from Addis Ababa has called on the Kenyan people to "stop the killings and end the violence now, before it is too late."

He said he is in Nairobi to give his full support to the Panel of Eminent African Persons, led by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, which is trying to resolve the current crisis.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (R) shakes hands with Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki after a closed door meeting during the 10th African Union Summit in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, January 31, 2008. [Agencies]

While in Nairobi, Ban intends to meet with opposition leader Raila Odinga, civil society leaders and UN staff in Nairobi.

More than 800 people have already lost their lives and 300,000 others displaced in intensifying ethnic clashes triggered by the aftermath of disputed December elections.  

Addressing the opening session the African Union summit earlier Thursday in Addis Ababa, Ban drew attention to the alarming developments in Kenya, calling on the gathered African leaders to urge the leaders and people of Kenya to calm the violence and resolve their differences through dialogue and respect for the democratic process.

In a meeting with President Kibaki on the sidelines of the summit, Ban encouraged the Kenyan leader to move toward a quick resolution of the crisis.

"If political leaders fail to act responsibly in the interests of all Kenyan people, the situation could escalate beyond control, " warned the secretary-general, stressing that the UN is ready to provide all necessary assistance.

"Kenya can remain stable and prosperous, a model to all Africa. We must all do our utmost to ensure that it does so," Ban said.  

The UN chief's visit comes as France's foreign minister appealed to the UN Security Council to help stop post-election violence in Kenya.

Bernard Kouchner expressed fear that the country was being allowed to slide into a "deadly ethnic conflict."  In a statement issued from Paris, Kouchner called on the UN Security Council to act.

"In the name of its duty to protect, it must urgently come to the aid of Kenya's population. Barbaric acts are being committed, civilian populations are being killed in atrocious ways, with women and children raped," he said. "We fear that this drift could plunge Kenya into a deadly ethnic conflict."

Negotiations to end the crisis resume in Nairobi on Friday after being postponed by hours following the death of an opposition MP who was shot dead by a policeman on Thursday.

"I am pleased with the progress and we are determined to resolve the crisis as soon as possible in order to bring stability and peace to the Kenyan people," Annan who is mediating the talks told journalists.

"We know that the Kenyan people want results and that they want peace. That is why the process is so accelerated. First and foremost we must see an end to the violence. It must stop, there is no excuse for any individual to take the law into his or her own hands and kill fellow citizens," Annan said.

He called on the government to investigate "these criminal acts and punish those responsible, whether they take the form of criminal acts or the excessive use of force by security forces."

"We need the help and support of the Kenyan people, and the best way they can provide that help and support is by refraining from acts of revenge."

The two teams will on Friday decide on a proposal to bring on board former African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Cyril Ramaphosa as the chief mediator of the talks.

The six-member team, which will henceforth be called the Kenya National Dialogue Team, emerged from their inaugural meeting chaired by Annan beaming with optimism at progress of the talks.