By Katie Nguyen and Andrew Cawthorne
Friday, June 23, 2006; 8:25 AM
NAIROBI (Reuters) – A deal to avert confrontation between the Somali interim government and Islamists who control Mogadishu have calmed fears of new fighting in the Horn of Africa country for now — but many tough issues stay unresolved.
The move was welcomed by diplomats and analysts, worried about the worsening relationship between the Islamists, who seized Mogadishu from U.S.-backed warlords on June 5, and Somalia’s weak but internationally recognized government.
“It’s a step in the right direction — there was a real risk that the two sides were going to end up fighting,” a Western expert on Somalia said. “It’s a sign of pragmatism on both sides — good will is stretching it a bit far.”
Both parties have yet to address a range of sensitive issues such as foreign peacekeepers, power-sharing and the government’s return to the capital from its temporary base in the provincial town of Baidoa. Some were skeptical about the Khartoum deal.
“These are just empty talks, both groups are still receiving arms shipments, training their forces and preparing for war, it is just an international relations exercise,” a U.N. expert, who closely follows Somalia, told Reuters.
RADICALS UNHAPPY?
An Islamic Courts Union spokesman said Thursday’s deal might anger some radicals within the diverse movement comprising 14 courts of moderate and hardline influence.
“When they see their people shaking hands with those people (government), they are not pleased,” said Nairobi-based spokesman Abdurahman Ali Osman.
“They might try and put more conditions because what they want to see is (President) Abdullahi Yusuf on the run.”
A spokesman for the government — formed in neighboring Kenya in 2004 in the 14th attempt to restore central rule to Somalia since 1991 — was upbeat.
“We welcome the outcome of the meeting and view it as an important step toward ending the 15 years of anarchy in our country,” Abdirahman Dinari said in Nairobi. “We wish to thank the Islamic courts for their commitment and desire to engage with the government … we assure them of our commitment too.”
Diplomats say building trust will be a major challenge after a flurry of accusations and counter-accusations between the two sides following the Islamist victory in Mogadishu.
The Islamists have accused Ethiopia, Yusuf’s main backer, of sending 300 soldiers across the border and rejected the government’s proposal for foreign troops in Somalia.
The government, on the other hand, has accused Muslim fundamentalists around the world of backing the Islamists who now control a swathe of southern-central Somalia.
Mogadishu residents said a large, Islamist-backed demonstration was being organized for later on Friday, after prayers, in support of the Khartoum pact.
(Additional reporting by Guled Mohamed)
Source: Retuers, June 23, 2006
