UN lauds reconciliation talks between Somali factions

October 7, 2007 (NAIROBI) — The United Nations has welcomed the interim Somali government’s move to work together with all opposition groups in the war-ravaged country as part of the ongoing political reintegration process.

In a statement received here on Saturday, UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Somalia Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah also lauded the move by the transitional government to endorse the recommendations of the recently-concluded National Reconciliation Congress on political inclusion.

Ould-Abdallah said the move “should pave the way for greater inclusion of Somalis from a larger political spectrum.”

He commended this decision as a first step towards national reconciliation and urged the transitional government to go further by extending the mandate of the National Governance and Reconciliation Committee as soon as possible.

“The decision to endorse the recommendations of the recently concluded National Reconciliation Congress (NRC) should pave the way for greater inclusion of Somalis from a larger political spectrum,” Ould-Abdallah said.

The statement voiced hope that by allowing the Committee to continue the national reconciliation process, the transitional government will prepare the ground for serious talks between Somalis inside and outside the country.

(Xinhua)