20110102
reuters

Nairobi — Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga departed on Sunday morning to Abuja, Nigeria to undertake his role as the African Union special envoy to resolve the political stalemate in Cote d'Ivoire.

The Prime Minister was appointed as AU's point man in efforts to resolve the standoff caused by Mr Gbagbo's refusal to vacate power despite the AU, EU, the UN, US recognising Mr Ouattara as the winner of the November election.

The AU Commission chief Jean Ping had late last month said he had asked Mr Odinga to "lead the monitoring of the situation in Cote d'Ivoire and bolster the efforts being undertaken" to end the turmoil.

Mr Odinga was the first African leader to call for Mr Gbagbo's ouster. "Gbagbo must be forced out, even if it means by military force to get rid of him," Mr Odinga told a press conference in Nairobi on December 17.

At this press conference, Mr Odinga also tore into the AU for the organisation's laxity. "The AU should not be sitting and lamenting all the time," he said.

But after he was informed of his new role on Monday, Mr Odinga took a more diplomatic stand, saying he would be neutral in the matter.

At a press conference at his rural Bondo home, he also promised to protect the embattled Cote d'Ivoire leader if he agreed to step down. He was, however, adamant that a power-sharing deal was out of the question.

A statement released from the Prime Minister's office indicated Mr Odinga departed for Abuja, Nigeria, where he will hold talks with Nigeria's President, Mr President Goodluck Jonathan, who is also the Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on the situation in Cote d'Ivoire.

On Monday, Mr Odinga will join Presidents of Benin, Sierra Leone and Cape Verde, who have been delegated by ECOWAS to travel to Cote d'Ivoire with a message from the bloc for incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo.

The three presidents - Boni Yayi of Benin, Sierra Leone's Ernest Bai Koroma and Pedro Pires of Cape Verde were in Abidjan last week to persuade Mr Gbagbo to agree to step down peacefully but did not succeed.

Mr Odinga left Nairobi in the company of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Kenyan High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Francis Sigei. He will work with an AU secretariat already in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire.