NAIROBI, Kenya Nov 27 (Garowe Online) - Somalia's interim Prime Minister has welcomed a power-sharing agreement between the government and the opposition Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS), calling it a 'historic' deal for the country.

Prime Minister Nur "Adde" Hassan Hussein told reporters in Nairobi, Kenya, that the government and opposition delegates were engaged in a peace process for the five months.

Somali PM Nur Adde

"I can say that this is a historic agreement for the Somali people, because attaining peace is not an easy task," the Prime Minister said on Thursday.

He said he is confident that the Somali people will support the new power-sharing agreement, which calls for a 550-seat parliament that elects a Speaker and a new President by January 2009.  Full story

For the opposition, ARS Chairman Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said the new deal puts Somalia "on the path to reconciliation."

"The agreement has been reached, but its implementation depends on public support," he said, while speaking at the peace conference's closing.

Key players, including President Abdullahi Yusuf, have quietly distanced themselves from the power-sharing deal signed in Djibouti.

Source: Garowe Online