SANA'A, Yemen Oct 21 (Garowe Online) - Somalia's opposition leader, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, has declared that he is "hopeful" about the successful signing of a final peace agreement with the country's Ethiopian-backed interim government.

Speaking in Yemen, the chairman of the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) told reporters Tuesday that Somali government officials and opposition delegates are expected to meet again next week in Djibouti.

A final peace deal will be signed at the next meeting, which calls for the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops and a nationwide ceasefire," Sheikh Sharif said.

He indicated that a delegation from the international community, led by UN Special Envoy Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, will attend the Djibouti negotiations as observers.

Piracy and the facilitation of humanitarian assistance will be hot topics at the next meeting between Somali government and opposition delegates, some of who just returned from a seminar in South Africa. Full story

Sheikh Sharif especially thanked Yemeni President Ali Abdalla Salah for supporting policies aimed at bringing last peace to war-torn Somalia.

Some rebel groups have refused to recognize the peace deal between the Somali government and the ARS, including an ARS faction based in Eritrea and led by Islamist hardliner Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys.

On Tuesday, insurgents attacked Somali-Ethiopian troops who were conducting search operations in Mogadishu's Huriwa district.

Source: Garowe Online