JIBOUTI CITY, Djibouti June 5 - Peace talks aimed at ending Somalia's 18-year war resumed again on Thursday after a brief halt the day earlier. A seminar on justice, reconciliation and peace in Somalia continued in Djibouti City after opposition delegates from the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) withdrew briefly yesterday.
According to reports, the presence of Ethiopia's ambassador to Djibouti at the seminar on Wednesday angered the ARS delegates, who abruptly left the seminar in protest.
Sources tell TFSF that United Nations officials, including the Secretary-General's Somalia envoy, Mr. Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, resolved the brief dispute by withdrawing invitations to foreign embassies.However, official representatives from international organizations, including the African Union, the Arab League and the European Union were allowed to attend the talks as observers.Peace talks between Somalia's Ethiopian-backed interim government and the Islamist-dominated ARS will take a break on Friday and resume over the weekend, according to organizers.Inside sources said the ARS delegates have demanded an exact withdrawal date for Ethiopian troops currently deployed in Somalia before meeting face-to-face with the Somali government, a key sticking point in the talks.Both Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and interim Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf have ruled out any quick withdrawal of Ethiopian forces and have repeatedly called for UN peacekeepers to replace the Ethiopian army.
Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, UN Envoy to Somalia
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