( dpa )- European leaders Tuesday urged Kenyan politicians to use a new dialogue to bring an end to the cycle of violence sweeping the east African country.
The appeal came in a joint statement issued in London by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, French President Nicolas Sarkozy , German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian caretaker premier Romano Prodi and Jose Manuel Barroso , the President of the European Commission.
"We call on Kenya's leaders to pursue this dialogue urgently, including in addressing the underlying issues - as they have committed to do - in order to resolve Kenya's problems and put in place the basis of governance that is representative of the democratic will of the Kenyan people," said the statement.
It urged all leaders to act to ensure that the cycle of violence was brought to an end and that security was established for all Kenyans, "for the good of Kenya and the region."
The joint statement was issued following discussions of the global economic turmoil chaired by Brown.