MOGADISHU, Somalia Feb 29 (Garowe Online) - Somalia's interim Prime Minister, Nur "Adde" Hassan Hussein, has said that his government is willing to meet with all members of the opposition, including the al-Shabaab guerrillas spearheading a bloody insurgency in the capital Mogadishu.

During a Voice of America Somali Service interview, Prime Minister Nur Adde said that there is "no dispute" brewing between him and President Abdullahi Yusuf when it comes to the central issue of reconciliation.

"There is no dispute between me and the President and I do not see any reason for it [dispute]," the Prime Minister said on Friday, echoing similar words President Yusuf said while addressing Parliament earlier this week. [ Full story]

Somali Prime Minister Nur Adde

He stated that, in his opinion, there was "not even a difference of opinion" between him and the Somali President.

"There is only a question of which road to take…and this goes beyond me and him [President Yusuf] because it relates to the entire Cabinet, Parliament, and even the public when we meet with them," Prime Minister Nur Adde said.

He maintained that reconciliation remained the only viable option to bring about lasting peace to Somalia after more than 17 years of armed conflict.

"We [the government] support an open reconciliation process with no preconditions and no Somali will be excluded, even al-Shabaab," Prime Minister Nur Adde said when asked whether or not he would engage al-Shabaab in peace talks.

He described the al-Shabaab fighters as "young Somalis" who have rights and responsibilities in the country, along with other opposition groups.

The Prime Minister did not provide a timetable for when peace talks with the opposition might begin, but he indicated that there are ongoing "informal contacts" between the government and its opponents.

On a question regarding a possible power-sharing scenario that would include giving the Prime Minister's post to the opposition, Premier Nur Adde stated matter-of-factly that he would readily resign in the interest of peace.

"I am ready for anything that will bring peace [to Somalia]. Peace for the people is more important than this seat [Prime Minister] and I am willing to step down if it will bring peace," he said.

President Yusuf has been quoted numerous times distancing his government from any negotiation with "extremist groups," namely the al-Shabaab guerrillas.

Observers suggested that Prime Minister Nur Adde's reconciliation approach is in conflict with President Yusuf's hardline stance, which marginalizes some groups while welcoming "moderate" elements of the opposition.

Opposition leaders, including al-Shabaab spokesmen, have repeatedly refused to recognize or negotiate with the interim government until Ethiopian troops withdraw from the country.

The bloody insurgency in Mogadishu, aimed at expelling Ethiopian troops from Somalia, has been raging since January 2007 when Mogadishu's Islamic rulers were overthrown and the country plunged deeper into chaos.

More than 6,500 people were killed last year in Mogadishu alone, according to human rights groups. Upwards of 600,000 civilians fled their homes, creating what some UN officials consider to be Africa's most pressing humanitarian crisis.

Source: Garowe Online