The bishops of Kenya expressed their "full support" of Annan’s mediation and asked for the immediate end of violence: "It is not too late for our leaders to change their minds and negotiate. This is not the time to put the blame on each other. This is why we give full support to the mediation efforts of Mister Kofi Annan and his team. We ask Mwai Kibaki and the Hon. Raila Odinga to open up their minds and their hearts and immediately start negotiations". Yesterday, Kofi Annan had managed to put the two rivals face to face for the first time since the date of the voting; it seemed to be the start of the negotiations, greeted with satisfaction by all the people concerned, but then the opposition denounced the head of State’s alleged intention to thwart any negotiation attempt, insisting on the legitimacy of his re-election. In the meantime, fights are going on, with another seven casualties in the Rift Valley. In a note sent yesterday to the agency Fides, the bishops asked for the "immediate end of violence, including demonstrations that would lead to riots in such an unstable situation and the use of excessive force by the police". In addition, the bishops denounce the use of messages sent through mobile phones to incite people to violence.
