Somali president urges 'dialogue'

Somalia's new president has vowed to hold talks with the al-Shabab movement, one of several armed opposition groups fighting for control of the country."I believe the best way to approach them is dialogue and trying to convince each other," Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed told Al Jazeera.Ahmed, who led the Islamic Courts' Union when it controlled much of south and central Somalia in 2006 before being forced out by Ethiopian forces, was sworn in as president on February 1. He has vowed to form a broad-based government and invite all armed groups in the Horn of Africa nation to join a UN-sponsored reconciliation effort."You know in Somalia today everyone thinks he or she is right and doesn't want to dialogue. We must abandon this culture. We must sit together, talk and come up with solutions to our problems," Ahmed said."That is the best way forward. We must stay away from anything that will bring further conflict."Armed oppositionAhmed's Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) joined the transitional government as part of a peace deal signed in 2008.But the administration has little real power, with armed opposition groups, including al-Shabab, controlling many towns and large areas of the capital Mogadishu..more..http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2009/02/20092654721255814.html