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The reconciliation
conference aimed at giving Somalia a central government will
start on April 20 in Djibouti as planned, the head of a high
level Djibouti delegation said here on Thursday.
Osman
Ahmed Yussuf, advisor to Djibouti President Ismael Omar Ghelleh,
was speaking at a press briefing shortly after the six-member
delegation arrived in the Somali capital for the first time
since Djibouti announced a peace plan late last year.
Nothing
has been changed in the plan, Yussuf said, adding that during
the conference in Djibouti, a President, a Prime Minister
and a speaker of parliament for Somalia will be announced.
The main
Somali armed faction leaders except Ali Mahdi Mohamed had
immediately opposed the plan. However, the preparations for
the forthcoming Djibouti reconciliation conference have well
been underway.
During
their short visit to Mogadishu, the delegation will be meeting
the various civic society groups, the traditional leaders,
clan politicians and the business community in the capital.
Yussuf
said his delegation is also willing to see all those who are
interested in the peace.
He did
not mention the faction leaders, but he said there is no one
the Djibouti government is segregating against in the peace
process for Somalia.
However,
the local politicians see that the delegation may be trying
to persuade the faction leaders such as Hussein Mohamed Aidid,
Mohamed Qanyareh Afrah and Osman Ali Atto to attend the meeting
in Djibouti.
The Somali
dignitaries who received the delegation included General Mohamed
Sheikh Osman, General Jilaow, General Mohamed Nur Galal and
many others including the Muslim scholars of the Islamic courts.
More than
80 battle wagons and nearly 1,000 heavily armed militiamen
from the Islamic courts escorted the delegation from Ballidogleh
airport, about 90 kilometers south of Mogadishu, to Hotel
Ramadan where they will be staying during their short stay
in Mogadishu.
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