Kenya's Prime Minister-designate Raila Odinga has shunned a meeting with President Mwai Kibaki on a planned power-sharing government.
Mr Odinga missed the scheduled meeting, accusing Mr Kibaki of insisting that full executive power would remain exclusively with Kenya's presidency.
The president expressed surprise at the move as he said the two men had been close to completing their discussions.
A deal reached in February ended a wave of violence after disputed elections.
The rival leaders had been expected to clinch the deal on Odinga sees speedy progress ...
US dismisses Kenyan 'propaganda' ... Monday having made what they called "substantial progress" during a six-hour meeting on Sunday about the make-up of a coalition cabinet.
But they appear to have emerged with very different impressions of what took place, says the BBC's Adam Mynott in Nairobi.
'Ready and willing'
Mr Odinga said there was no point in meeting on Monday because Mr Kibaki's Party of National Unity (PNU) had reneged on an earlier deal about the distribution of cabinet seats.
His Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) had made important concessions, but these had not been reciprocated, Mr Odinga said.
"This latest crisis in portfolio balance captured the astonishing lengths PNU is willing to go to ensure that it continues to monopolise power," he said.
Shortly afterwards, Mr Kibaki said he was "ready and willing" to implement a power-sharing deal as long as Mr Odinga engaged "constructively" in talks.
Complete deadlock
The proposed power-sharing deal created the post of prime minister, which is to be filled by Mr Odinga.
An agreement was meant to be reached on the other posts, allowing a coalition cabinet to be named.
Mr Odinga has written to the president proposing that the ODM yield the key posts of Finance and Internal Security, on the condition that the party fills the cabinet portfolios of Foreign Affairs, Local Government, Transport, Energy and Cabinet Affairs.
There appears to be complete deadlock, our correspondent says, and the situation in the country remains tense.
Some 1,500 people died and 600,000 were displaced during the violence that followed December's disputed elections.
Many thousands have yet to return to their homes.
(BBC)
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