Did ODM get a raw deal?
Given the conditions at the time, it was almost impossible to get a better deal than the one we negotiated. The crisis was causing more deaths with every passing day. We were dealing with a fairly belligerent and intransigent partner. When it turned out the negotiators could not strike a deal, Mr Annan and the other members of the Panel of Eminent African Personalities – Graca Machel and Mr Mkapa – decided to talk directly to the principals. Those were very difficult hours. We met with Mr Kibaki together with (Tanzanian President Jakaya) Kikwete. I yielded ground and Mr Kibaki also yielded some ground to the disappointment of some hardliners in his camp. Towards the end, we suggested we needed to talk to our lawyers. They called in Attorney-General Amos Wako but I said he is not my legal adviser. That’s when James Orengo came in and they made their case like attorneys before a jury. The Annan team then decided to sit down to draw the draft and we broke for lunch. As we were returning t
