By Hassan Yare
Saturday, October 28, 2006
The dominance of the Islamists, who control much of the south after seizing Mogadishu from U.S.-backed warlords in June, threatens the Western-backed interim government's attempts to impose central rule on a country in chaos since 1991.
In September talks, the two sides agreed in principle to create joint military forces and reconvene on October 30 for power-sharing talks on political and security issues.
"We have decided to attend the Khartoum talks," Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi told a news conference in the government's provincial seat Baidoa, monitored by Reuters by phone from Mogadishu.
"We are ready to implement any agreements reached ... We are ready to play our role in achieving a solution to the Somali problem."
An Islamist official said the Islamists were hoping to leave for Khartoum on Sunday.
The two sides have met twice in the Sudanese capital for Arab League-mediated talks that have produced little other than a promise to recognise each other and not make any military moves.
Negotiations stalled after government allegations the Islamists had broken the pact against military expansion by seizing more territory, and Islamist claims of foreign interference in Somalia.
Islamists say Ethiopia has sent troops to protect the government of Abdullahi Yusuf -- the 14th attempt at effective central rule since the 1991 ousting of a dictator.
Addis Ababa denies any incursion although it says it has sent several hundred armed military trainers.
"It is the Islamic courts who breached previous agreements reached in Khartoum," Gedi said. "Instead of appointing their committee to represent them in implementing the agreements they started fighting and expanding their territorial control."
The Islamists flank the administration on three sides and have stopped fuel shipments reaching its sole outpost.
Gedi said parliamentary speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan would lead the government delegation to Khartoum, despite legislators saying this month he had quit that role.
"The speaker of parliament is still the leader of the government delegation. We only heard from the radio that he had resigned, we have not received any official notice," Gedi said.
Many fear the stand-off could erupt into a regional war, sucking in Ethiopia and its rival Eritrea, which denies charges of sending weapons to the Islamists.
Kenya, as chair of regional body IGAD, will jointly mediate next week's talks.
Source: Reuters, Oct. 28, 2006