Besides
the government leaders who attended the inauguration ceremony, representatives
from the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the Arab League, Kenya and Egypt
were also at hand in Arta, Djibouti. News reports said three Gulf Arab states
had hailed on Sunday the election the interim authority. The
United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait also paid tribute in separate statements
to Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh for sucessfully hosting the Somali peace
conference. "What
was achieved between the Somali factions can be considered a step towards stability
and security in Somalia which was torn by war," the UAE news agency WAM quoted
Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Sultan bin Zaid al-Nahayan as saying.
In Jeddah, the Saudi government issued a statement, carried by the official Saudi
Press Agency, welcoming the establishment of government institutions for Somalia
and urged all factions to join reconciliation efforts. Kuwait
also welcomed the outcome saying it wished President Abdulqassim Salad Hassan
"success in achieving stability and peace for the Somali people." | 
