Un Ugly Compromise Ahead

Kenya's President Kibaki has invited opposition leader Odinga for talks following the recent election results which, to put it mildly, are disputed.

Mr Odinga has called off rallies in his favour, which is probably a good thing, because it makes it less likely we'll see more violence over the next few days. But he says it's because he's putting his faith in international mediation, which is about as likely to produce a satisfactory resolution as the tribunal that's decided Harbhajan Singh definitely called Andrew Symonds a monkey.

It's clear that Mr Odinga was, as he maintains, cheated out of election triumph by Mr Kibaki. Sadly enough, there seems little hope he'll actually be given that victory. With the world watching on, and tribal violence eerily reminiscent (albeit on a far smaller scale) of Rwanda 14 years ago taking place, some kind of compromise appears more likely by the day. It's an ugly way out, but at least it may save many hundreds of lives, a factor which leaves Mr Odinga little choice.