By Guled Mohamed
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
MOGADISHU, Nov 7 (Reuters) - The parliament speaker of Somalia's interim government and Islamist leaders are due to meet on Tuesday near Mogadishu for a first attempt at salvaging collapsed peace talks to avert war.
The meeting, to be held in the agriculture-rich settlement of Afgoye, 30 km (19 miles) west of Mogadishu, aims to reconcile the western-backed government and the Islamist movement, which controls the capital and most of southern Somalia.
"The meeting will start (in the afternoon) in Afgoye," Islamist spokesman Abdirahim Ali Mudey told Reuters.
"It is aimed at reviving talks between us and the government. It is the first official meeting between us and the speaker since he arrived in Mogadishu last week."
The speaker, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan, is the most senior government official to visit Mogadishu since the Islamists seized it from U.S.-backed warlords in June and began their push to spread sharia law across the nation of 10 million.
Fears of an all-out conflict in Somalia -- which could enflame the Horn of Africa -- rose last week after Arab League-sponsored peace talks were postponed with mediators urging both sides to exercise restraint.
"We hope to end the Somalia crisis," lawmaker Asha Abdalla said.
But despite the planned talks, tension was high further north in Galkaayo as Islamist troops and government forces squared off just a day after fighting broke out between the Islamic troops and the self-declared state of Puntland.
"We are facing off with the Islamic troops near Galinsoor," Ali Sahal, a government officer said by telephone from near the defence line. "The two forces are just 5 km (3 miles) apart. Gun battles can restart anytime."
Analysts fear war between the government of President Abdullahi Yusuf and the Islamists could spread.
The Islamists say the government is supported by thousands of troops who invaded from neighbouring Ethiopia, whose arch-foe Eritrea is accused of arming the Islamists.
Officials in the government seat of Baidoa said they were monitoring the Afgoye talks and would give an official statement once the outcome was made public.
Somalia has lacked central rule since the 1991 ouster of a dictator plunged the country into anarchy.
Source: Reuters, Nov. 7, 2006