Saleh vows support for Somalia

By Mohammed al-Kibsi

Sana, Yemen, 27, 2007 - Yeman should deal with the latest developments in Somalia in light of the recent withdrawal of the Ethiopian forces from Mogadishu, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi told President Ali Abdullah Saleh via his foreign minister, Seyoum Mesfin, last Wednesday, when the two men met in Sana’a.

Now that the Ethiopians have withdrawn, there is some concern as to who will be in Mogadishu to protect the interim government in residence there. Somalia and Ethiopia hope that African Union peacekeeping forces can be deployed to help maintain peace. The message from the Ethiopian prime minister also dealt with the ways Yemen and Ethiopia could coordinate to serve the security, stability, and peace in Somalia and in the African Horn in general.

The message also addressed other issues concerning the agenda for the upcoming meetings of the Sana’a Assembly to be held in Addis Ababa. Saleh reassured the Ethiopian foreign minister of Yemen’s desire to create prevailing security and stability in Somalia and of Yemen’s support for all the efforts that encourage the resumption of dialogue among the different Somali factions, in a way that ensures continued peace in Somalia and the rebuilding the institutions of the Somali state.

Saleh said that the security of Somalia does indeed concern Yemen and all the countries in the region. At the end of the meeting, Saleh sent Mesfin a reply message to be conveyed to the Ethiopian prime minister, Meles Zenawi. In related news, Yemen reopened its embassy in Mogadishu last Monday, making it the first country to reopen its embassy there since the Somali interim government took over the country.

Yemen plans to send a team from the Ministry of Public Works to Mogadishu to help remove the wreckage left in the trail of the recent fighting, a source told the 26 of September website. The source added that this was decided as part of Yemen’s support for its brothers in Somalia, so as to help them overcome the effects of the war as well as to help in restoring life to Somalia.

Source: Yemen Observer

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