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The latest
Somalian national reconciliation conference starts Tuesday
in Djibouti, but only one of the warlords who control the
capital Mogadishu will be present.
The other
faction leaders have rejected the peace plan put forward by
Djibouti's President Ismail Omar Guelleh.
Ali Mahdi
Mohamed, who controls northern Mogadishu, arrived in Djibouti
late Sunday for the conference that was originally scheduled
for April 20, according to Radio Djibouti.
After his arrival,
Ali Mahdi and his delegation went straight to Arta, a residential
complex 30 kilometres south of the capital where a huge marquee
has been erected near 50 villas put at the disposal of the
delegations.
The former
president of the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland, Abdurahman
Ahmed Ali is also in Djibouti, but Somaliland authorities
have rejected the Djiboutian initiative.
Somaliland,
in northwest Somalia, was formed in 1991 when its leaders
split from Somalia.
The leaders
of Puntland (northeast) which also calls itself independent
have also rejected Guelleh's plan.
The Djibouti
president will open the conference Tuesday, highlighting the
participation of representatives of civil society. Guelleh's
peace plan raises the prospect of sanctions against faction
leaders if "they don't adopt a realistic attitude and open
themselves up to dialogue".
Such sanctions
would include restrictions on foreign travel, seizing of bank
accounts, interuption of international aid and eventually
legal proceedings for crimes against humanity. Many Djibouti
officials are optimistic that important decisions will be
made at this conference.
Influential
people from within Somalia will be joined by intellectuals
and business people from the Somalian diaspora.
Also present
will be a number of career diplomats from the previous regime
of Mohamed Siad Barre, who was toppled in 1991, who will be
there as "facilitators".
This is
the 13th Somali national reconciliation conference organised
by the international community since the fall of Siad Barre.
It aims
to establish a transition parliament that would organise elections
for a president and prime minister for Somalia in two years.
Other countries have been strongly supportive of the Somalian
peace intiative.
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