NAIROBI, Kenya Apr 12 2008 - The president of Somalia' s Puntland State government met privately with former Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi on Friday in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

Gen. Mohamud "Adde" Muse, the president of Puntland, flew from neighboring Ethiopia where he held extensive talks with government officials there regarding security and economic relations.

In Nairobi, President Muse's vehicle drove straight from the airport to the residence of former Prime Minister Gedi, where the two men talked privately for at least three hours, according to reliable sources.

It is not clear what Muse and Gedi discussed during their meeting, but the two men have been political adversaries for most of Gedi's three years in office as Prime Minister.

Gedi opposed an exploration contract Muse signed in 2005 with a small Australian mining firm, giving the company rights to explore for oil and other resources in Puntland.

According to the former PM, only the Federal Government has the constitutional authority to manage the country's natural resources.

Gedi resigned last October after falling out with Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf, himself a former Puntland ruler.

In later interviews, Gedi indicated that the issue of managing the country's resources was one of the main reasons for his publicized dispute with the ailing Somali leader.

Muse and other Puntland administration officials had boasted that Gedi resigned from the office of the Prime Minister after becoming an obstacle to the ambitious plans of the Puntland leadership.

It is not clear how Muse's private meeting with Gedi will affect the Puntland leader's relations with President Yusuf, who is not satisfied with Muse's leadership, according to sources close to the President.

Mr. Gedi, who is still a Member of Parliament, leads an opposition wing from his Nairobi residence and has publicly announced he plans to run for Somali president in the 2009 elections.

Source: Garowe Online