Somali Islamists Hint They Are Open To Talks With Ethiopia

Photo: Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Abdullah al-Kurbi(L) poses for a picture with Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, head of the Somali Islamic courts, at the end of their press conference in the Yemeni Red Sea port of Aden. Somalia's powerful Islamist movement appeared to open the door to talks with neighboring Ethiopia to avert war with the weak Ethiopian-backed Somali transitional government.(AFP/Khaled Fazaa)

ADEN, Yemen, December 16, 2006 – Somalia's powerful Islamist movement appeared to open the door to talks with neighboring Ethiopia to avert war with the weak Ethiopian-backed Somali transitional government.

A top Islamist official, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, said the movement was prepared for "dialogue" with Ethiopia, which has troops in Somalia protecting the government.

At the same time, Ahmed and the speaker of the Somali parliament announced a deal to bring the Islamists and the government back to the negotiating table after peace talks collapsed last month.

However, the prospects were unclear as the Islamists have given Ethiopia until Tuesday to withdraw or face major attacks and the Somali government says the window of opportunity for talks has closed.

Somali parliament speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden is also on poor terms with the UN-recognized government.

"It is our right to set a deadline because Somalia belongs to the Somalis, not the Ethiopians," Ahmed told reporters. "It is our right to set a deadline, (but) this does not mean that we will attack them after this deadline expires.

"The Islamic Courts have invariably called for dialogue and for resolving problems by peaceful means," he said. "We continue to champion this principle and we are prepared to negotiate and engage in a dialogue with the Ethiopians."

The Islamists have already declared holy war on the Ethiopian troops in Somalia and claimed several small attacks against them but stepped up the ante last week with their ultimatum that was brushed off by Addis Ababa.

There was no immediate reaction to Saturday's developments from mainly Christian Ethiopia, which with the United States accuses the Islamists of having links with Al-Qaeda and trying to foment unrest among its sizeable Muslim minority.

Ethiopia has sent several hundred military trainers and advisers to help the Somali government but denies widespread reports it has deployed thousands of combat troops to Somalia.

Ahmed's comments came after three days of urgent talks here hosted by Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh between Ahmed, head of the executive committee of the Supreme Islamic Council of Somalia (SICS), and Aden.

In a joint statement the two pledged to work for a peaceful resolution to the crisis that threatens the lawless country with more unrest.

"The Islamic Courts are committed to dialogue with the interim federal Somali government as a way of resolving differences ... and stopping any moves conducive to military confrontations by any side," it said.

They committed themselves to talks on a political settlement guaranteeing the participation of all sides of the UN-recognized government, but did not give a date for the resumption of negotiations.

They also affirmed agreements made at earlier rounds of talks and rejected "interference in Somali internal affairs by any country in the region," calling for the borders of Somalia and all neighboring states to be respected.

The pact appears to rule out a regional peacekeeping mission authorized by the UN Security Council and its success is jeopardized by Aden's poor ties with the rest of Somalia's so-called "transitional federal institutions."

The speaker incurred the government's wrath last month with an unauthorized trip to Islamist-held Mogadishu and has not returned to the administration seat of Baidoa, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) away, despite calls to do so.

The government repudiated an earlier deal Aden reached with the Islamists, saying that he represented only himself and a small number of lawmakers, not the entire legislature or the cabinet of President Abdillahi Yusuf Ahmed.

The agreement was announced a day after the Islamists and government traded barbs and moved closer to war following US and Somali accusations that the Islamist movement had been taken over by Al-Qaeda.

On Friday, Yusuf said war was "inevitable" because of Islamist advances on Baidoa, the only major government-held town, and ruled out peace talks.

At the same time, Islamist officials denounced the US allegations, denying any link to terrorism and claiming Washington wants to split their movement.

Source: AFP

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