WASHINGTON - US Senator Hillary Clinton, a top contender for the White House, called Wednesday for an independent investigation into alleged irregularities in Kenya's presidential elections.
"Given numerous reports of serious irregularities, an independent investigation of last week's election would aid the efforts to resolve the conflict and end the violence," she said in a statement.
A dispute over last week's ballot in Kenya, focused on discrepancies in the counting process, has triggered the country's worst urban clashes in 25 years, leaving some 330 people dead and displacing tens of thousands of people.
"The ongoing post-election violence in Kenya is a tragic conclusion to what had been a generally peaceful election in a country of great democratic and economic promise," said Clinton.
"I urge all sides to call on their supporters to halt the violence and to work together in a spirit of unity and compromise," she said.
Clinton is a leading contender for the Democratic party's presidential nomination, and has been emphasizing her foreign policy experience, citing her eight years at the White House during husband Bill Clinton's presidency.
ok/ch
01/02/2008 21:46 GMT