Somalia: ICU and TFG accept peace dialogue as fighting continues
Wed. December 20, 2006 12:15 pm.
(SomaliNet) SomaliaÂ’s powerful Islamic Courts Union has accepted on Wednesday to resume talks with the Transitional Federal Government after meeting with EU delegation that today visited Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia while its militia is engaging a fierce battle with the government troops backed by Ethiopian forces close to Baidoa, the base of the government.
After having close doors meeting in north of Mogadishu, both The European Commissioner of Development and Humanitarian Aid, Mr. Louis Michel and Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, the supreme leader of ICU held joint press conference expressing hope that Somalia peace dialogue will be back on track soon. Sheik Aweys, the key founder of Islamic Courts Union told briefly the journalists inside the Islamist headquarter that the ICU had agreed to resume talks.
“indeed, we understood each other and we have agreed to restart the negotiation and we (Islamic Courts) decided to go to the meeting and address there over what we have,” Sheik Aweys said. “We have also talked with the EU officials how the peace can be introduced in Somalia solve the problem through dialogue,”
Asked whether the EU delegation had raised with them over the current outbreak of fighting, Sheik Aweys declined to comment on that topic saying “It is just a war we are engaging with the Ethiopians not with the government,”
Mr. Louis Michel on his part told the reporters that the EU trip to Somalia to get guarantees from rival sides was successful.
He said the ICU had accepted the EU to go to the meeting in Khartoum without condition while the government side did so.
“It was useful meeting we had with Sheik Aweys and I was very happy to receive a welcome from the ICU officials answering my question if they were ready to engage in a re-launch of political dialogue with the transitional federal government,” Louis Michel said. “we fought any conditions and I am very happy to announce you that they (ICU) had accepted my statement which I see it as very important so the point is you are coming closer and I believe there is a good chance to be able to have comprehensive frame work in order to restart the political talks between parts,”
The EU officials went back to Nairobi, Kenya where they will report to the international community over the acceptance from the political parts in Somalia.
This is part of EU efforts to revive the stalling peace talks in Khartoum, Sudan.
A plane carrying the EU envoy has landed at the main Mogadishu airport around 3:00 pm local time today where they instantly had talks with the Islamist leadership.
The mission of the EU delegation in Somalia is to compress rival political leaders in Somalia to resume talks in order to find a peaceful solution and avert war in the region.
Earlier today, the EU envoy visited Baidoa city, the base of the transitional government.
Mr. Michel met with Somalia president Abdulahi Yusuf and Premier Ali Mohammed Gedi over the possibility that the government should accept resuming talks with its rival (Islamic Courts)
