Liibaan Posted December 25, 2006 Arab League calls for dialogue to halt clashes in Somalia The Arab League (AL) Friday called on Somalia's both sides of the armed clashes to halt fighting to pave the way for resuming negotiations, Egypt's MENA news agency reported. Samir Hosni, director of AL's African affairs department, made the call in a statement after Smalia's conflicting sides, the interim government and the Somali Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), had pledged to resume negotiations in the Sudanese capital Khartoum in January without preconditions. Hosni noted in the statement that the AL and the African regional organization, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), will serve as sponsors for the January negotiations, the third of its kind, while the warring parties will sign an agreement on their acceptance of the sponsors. The negotiation agenda set by the IGAD and the AL should include two main points: security in Somalia and sharing authority, along with some constitutional issues, said the report. Clashes resumed between the conflicting Somali sides on Thursday despite of a truce secured by an EU envoy late Wednesday between the interim government and the UIC. The country of the Horn of Africa has been without a functioning central authority since the 1991 ouster of former ruler Mohamed Siad Barre. Source: Xinhua Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
