Kofi Annan wraps up successful Kenyan talk

NAIROBI, Kenya, March 2 (UPI) -- Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan left Kenya Sunday following the successful conclusion of a power-sharing agreement between rival parties there.

Annan urged Kenyans to remain active in the political process to rebuild the country and pave the way to national reconciliation, the BBC said Sunday.

"We want Kenya to return to the old Kenya: stable, peaceful, prosperous and welcoming," he said

More than 1,000 people died in conflicts stemming from a contentious presidential election between Raila Odinga, the leader of the opposition Orange Democratic Movement, and incumbent President Mwai Kibaki. Kibaki's disputed win brought the formerly peaceful Kenya to the brink of civil war.

The deal between the two leaders gives Odinga the role of executive prime minister.