Bush Backs Power-Sharing in Kenya

U.S. President George Bush backed a power-sharing agreement to end political violence in Kenya during a brief stop Saturday in Benin.

Bush’s six-day, five-country tour of Africa avoids trouble spots such as Kenya, where hundreds of people have been killed since President Mwai Kibaki was re-elected in a disputed vote. His itinerary includes Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana and Liberia.

After meeting with President Thomas Boni Yayi of Benin, Bush discussed the Kenya situation with reporters, the BBC said. The president has dispatched Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Nairobi to back up former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

The key is that the leaders hear from her first hand that the United States desires to see that there be no violence and that there be a power-sharing agreement that will help this nation resolve its difficulties, Bush said.