Somali FM: Washington Will Provide Military Aid and Security through Regional Governments Q and A

Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat- In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Somali Foreign Minister Muhammad Abdullahi Omar said that the US government is concerned with supporting the interim government in Somalia to eliminate the threat of Al Qaeda and to weaken its ties with what he described as Islamist rebels who seek to overthrow the transitional government that is headed by Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.
Asharq Al-Awsat spoke to the Somali Foreign Minister on the phone from the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. He recently took part in the meeting that was held between US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed that lasted just over an hour.
The interview proceeded as follows:
Q) How did the meeting in Nairobi between US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the transitional President Sheikh Sharif go?
A) The meeting was important to show the real intentions of the United States. This is the first time that the president has held a meeting on such a level with such a [high-ranking] US official like Hillary Clinton. We were left with a good impression. The high-ranking people in this meeting needed to meet one another and to establish a personal rapport as well.
Q) Do you believe that this rapport was successful?
A) Absolutely
Q) Can you explain this?
A) Officials from both sides have now become friends – in the case of President Sheikh Sharif and Hillary Clinton or on the level of my ties with her – we now know one another. When I pick up the phone now, I know the person on the other end, and it’s the same for the president. Therefore, we can now talk about the beginnings of a friendship, thanks to the personal rapport that has so far been successful, and this is an important matter at this stage.
Q) What help do you expect to get?
A) The Americans will provide military aid just as they did in the past and they will provide political support. Just as we all saw, they sent a very strong message to Eritrea warning it to stop its blatant and negative interference in Somalia’s internal affairs. We have the same goals [as the US] that the Shabaab organization, which is linked to Al Qaeda, must not [be allowed to] succeed in implementing its terrorist policies and agenda in Somalia...more,,http://aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=1&id=17734