Thursday, August 06, 2009
NAIROBI, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Visiting U.S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is due to hold talks with Somali President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed in Kenya's capital, Nairobi on Thursday.
A statement from the U.S. embassy in Nairobi said the meeting signals Washington's determination to bolster support for the Somali transitional government, which has been fighting hard-line Islamic insurgents.
Clinton is expected to confirm U.S. backing for the Western-backed transitional government which has been facing daily onslaught from Al-Shabaab militia group and spell out ways of stabilizing the lawless nation.
"The Secretary intends to underscore the United States firm support for the TFG, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM),and international efforts to stabilize Somalia," the statement said.
The Al-Shabaab and other local militia groups which control large swathes of Somalia have refused to recognize the government and have vowed to overthrow the administration to institute the strictest form of Sharia law.
"The Secretary will also emphasize the U.S. commitment to addressing the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Somalia," the statement said.
Speaking early this week in Mogadishu, President Ahmed said the meeting will seek to strengthen bilateral relations between Washington and the Horn of Africa nation.
"Our aim is to strengthen the bilateral relations between Somalia and the United States, the cooperation of the two sides in the political and security spheres, and the support of the Somali government on the economic and humanitarian fronts," Ahmed told journalists in Mogadishu.
Ahmed described his upcoming meeting with Clinton who is on a seven-nation African tour, as a "precious opportunity" to discuss the relations between the United States and Somalia.
Ahmed who has the backing of western nations said the Somali people were "now prepared to avail the "precious opportunity" presented by the growing close relationship with the U.S..
The Thursday's meeting comes after Washington said it has would increase its military assistance to Somalia to help the transitional government restore sanity and the rule of law in the war-ravaged Horn of Africa.
Clinton is reportedly expected to pledge more financial assistance, including additional shipments of weapons to enable the Horn of Africa nation stamp its authority.
Al-Shabaab now effectively controls almost the entire south and central portions of Somalia except for few pockets run by Hezbul Islam, which also partly controls the central Somali town of Beledweyn, the last stronghold of pro-government forces in central Somalia.
President Ahmed, a former geography teacher and Islamic scholar, was the widely respected leader of a movement of Islamist courts that briefly took power in 2006, who came into office early this year.
Somalia has been without an effective government after longtime President Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991.
Source: Xinhua, Aug 06, 2009