Somalia
Reconciliation conference ends in Somalia but questions linger
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Aug 30, 2007 - 2:33:25 PM

MOGADISHU, Somalia Aug 30 (Garowe Online) - A 45-day national reconciliation conference hosted by the provisional government in Somalia ended Wednesday after delegates representing the country's various clans signed peace documents.

Today's closing ceremony was attended by Somali leaders, representatives from various organizations like the UN, the African Union, the Arab League, and officials from several countries including China, Norway, Ethiopia and Egypt.

Ali Mahdi Mohamed, chairman of the conference's organizing committee, told delegates and diplomats at the closing ceremony that the "successful conclusion" of the reconciliation conference does not mean that the reconciliation process is over.

"Reconciliation will continue at the regional and village level," Mr. Mahdi said.

Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf urged the government's armed opponents to prepare for elections in 2009 if they desire participation in Somali politics.

"I am ready to hand power over to whomever is elected by the people," President Yusuf said while expressing his gratitude to more than 1,000 clan delegates from across the country.

UN special envoy Francois Fall urged the government to "reach out to all opposition groups," a statement preceded by Mr. Mahdi's repeated appeals for talks with armed groups.

According to signed documents, Somali clans have agreed to disarm and to integrate clan militias into the country's new security forces.

Any clan that opposes new measures to enforce the peace agreement would be met with resistance from the majority of clans, the signed documents read.

Even with talk of reconciliation, ceaseless violent attacks and clan violence in the countryside continue to haunt the future of the transitional federal government.

Suspected insurgents linked to the country's former Islamist rulers attacked three police checkpoints on Wednesday in a continuation of attacks targeting government security forces and their Ethiopian backers.

In the countryside, fresh outbreaks of clan clashes are all too common, with the most recent flare-up in the central regions leading to more than 20 deaths two weeks ago.

Source: Garowe Online