Somali gov't says progress seen at reconciliation talks

Mugadishu, Thursday, August 09, 2007 Simba Radio

The Somali national reconciliation conference underway in the country's capital of Mogadishu is already realizing progress aimed at resolving the war-torn nation' s multiple conflicts, a senior government official said here Wednesday.

Somalia Ambassador to Kenya, Mohammed Ali Nur, said major resolutions have been adopted at the Congress which brought together the transitional government and its non-violent political oppositions in a dialogue that would isolate the Islamist insurgency and pave way for a national accord.

"The adoption of the major resolutions is a notable step towards peace which would eventually lead to stability not only in Mogadishu but in the whole of Somalia," Nur told a news conference in Nairobi.

"A declaration has been made on the cessation of hostilities and commitment to peace and nationwide verifiable mechanisms for the disarmament of the population is some of the major outcomes of the conference," Nur said.

He said the conference which began on July 15 has also agreed on how to equitably share national resources across the country according to the transitional charter.

"We feel and believe that the ongoing reconciliation conference will be a turning point of peace and stability for the people of Somalia and the final efforts towards unity," Nur told journalists in Nairobi.

"Above all the great achievement and expectation from the people of Somalia is the attainment of sustained peace in their country."

The opening of the reconciliation congress was followed by a series of deadly attacks targeting at locations where the conference, which was suspended for several days, is taking place.

The attacks have wounded and killed innocent bystanders, including children, and prompted scores of others to flee.

On Tuesday, UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Somalia Francois Lonseny Fall called on the Somali transitional government to invite opposition groups to join the reconciliation meeting.

"We would like to see the stakeholders who renounce violence inside and outside the country take part in this process," Fall said.

Fall said the international community firmly supports the reconciliation process and will contribute much-needed technical assistance to allow delegates to reach decisions to promote peace.

The UN special envoy also appealed to participants to discuss all outstanding issues, including power-sharing and disarmament.