Terror Free Somalia Foundation

Senator Norm Coleman Meeting with His Excellency Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, President of the Somalia Transitional Federal Government.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Senator Norm Coleman is urging the president of Somalia to pursue reconciliation as a way to move the nation out of its violence-ravaged state. Coleman, a Minnesota Republican, met for about 40 minutes with Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed on Tuesday. Minnesota is believed to have the largest Somali population in the U.S. Coleman says he told Ahmed to reach out to "all stakeholders not associated with terrorism." Coleman says that Ahmed responded that he would maintain his commitment to reconciliation. The transitional government in Somalia, formed in 2004 with U.N. help, has struggled to assert control. Somalia has been afflicted by violence and anarchy for more than a decade. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)