Friday, December 04, 2009
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France firmly condemned the deadly attack in Somalia on Thursday that killed scores of people including three government ministers, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said in a statement. "France firmly condemns the suicide-bombing ... against students and government ministers," said Kouchner, vowing France will take durable actions with the Somali government to draw the country back to peace and stability.
He underlined the Somali transition government was the only legitimate authority and "reaffirmed the full support" of France to the government led by President Sheikh Sharif.
A suicide bomber killed nearly 57 people including three Somali government ministers at a graduation ceremony for medical students in a Mogadishu hotel on Thursday, while injuring 200 others, local ambulance services said.
France plays a key role in the European Union's naval mission, Operation Atalanta, fighting Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden. It has been training Somali security forces in neighboring Djibouti starting with a battalion of around 500 men.
Source: Xinhua