NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya's embattled president and his main political rival agreed Monday to meet for the first time since a flawed election last month that a senior U.S. official said had "cheated" the Kenyan people.

President Mwai Kibaki's invitation to opposition leader Raila Odinga came after talks over the weekend with Jendayi Frazer, the top U.S. diplomat for Africa. Kibaki claimed a re-election victory last week despite serious charges of vote-rigging, triggering violent clashes that have killed nearly 500 people, according to a government estimate.

Kibaki's invitation followed days of pressure by Frazer and other Western diplomats on both sides to end the fighting, which has forced more than 200,000 Kenyans to flee their homes. » read more

WASHINGTON — President Bush, who once had grand ambitions to transform the Middle East through democratic reform, begins his first extended presidential visit to the region Tuesday with his sights lowered and his ability to influence events fading fast.

From the Israeli prime minister's modest house in Jerusalem to the palace of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Bush can expect a polite welcome during the nine-day trip. But with the U.S. presidential campaign under way, governments in the region already appear to be looking past Bush to his successor. They're expecting no major breakthroughs.

The official Arab view of Bush was summed up inadvertently by a diplomat from a major Arab state, who indicated disbelief that the president will use the trip to renew his drive for Middle East democracy. » read more