Somali President promises support for peace, national reconciliation

MOGADISHU, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Tuesday said he supports the national reconciliation and for the first time openly spoke about his differences with the Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein. "I am not opposed to the national reconciliation and no one in my government is opposed to it because I have been part of 12 out of the 14 peace talks held for Somalia," Somali President said at a rare news conference at his office in Mogadishu. "The reconciliation is national, constitutional and inevitable. There is no future for Somalia without it," the president added. Yusuf said that the transitional government is "fully honest about reconciliation" and "is for reconciliation and power-sharing" with the opposition. "Instead of war, the Somali government prefers to get things done through dialogue, political consensus and peaceful means," the president said. This comes after Yusuf was accused of opposing the national reconciliation spearheaded by PM Hussein. It follows the emergence of the disagreement between the Somali president and his prime minster after the premier sacked the mayor of Mogadishu Mohamed Omar Habeeb, a close ally of the president late last month. Eleven ministers allied with Yusuf resigned over the dismissal of Habeeb but the premier named six new ministers to replace them. Days later, the Prosecutor General issued a statement in which he said the Prime Minister's decision to sack the mayor and name ministers without the president's approval was "unconstitutional". Speaking about the differences with the Prime minster, the President said "the disagreement was not about politics or about reconciliation". "The row is about the constitution not over politics. No one should violate the constitution we should only do what the constitution allows to do," he said. "No one can breach the constitution and the other laws of the country," said the president without directly referring to the Prime Minister. Yusuf said as President he is responsible for the protection of the constitution and the country" if it faces danger". The Somali president also lashed out at the media accusing it of lying and bias urging it to be impartial and fair, saying the media should work