Somalia's interim government and its rival Islamic movement said
that they had signed an interim peace agreement to create a unified
national army, said reports from the Sudanese capital Khartoum on
Monday.
The deal stated that the two sides had agreed on "the formation
of a Somali national army and police force by integrating the
forces of the Islamic militia, the transitional federal government
and other local militia."
Under the pact, the Islamic militia, which has seized control of
much of southern Somalia, will not take any more territory and will
instead wait for the Oct. 30 talks.
They also agreed to stop issuing propaganda against each
other.
"The Islamic courts have met the expectations of our people,"
said Abdullahi Sheik Ismail, deputy prime minister of the Somali
government.
"As the Islamic courts, we will implement this agreement that
has been made here in Khartoum and we call upon the government to
do the same," said Ibrahim Hassan Addow, the chief of the Islamist
negotiators.
The signing ceremony was also attended by Sudan Foreign Minister
Lam Akol and Arab League representative Abdul Halima.
The four-point accord, which came after two days of Arab
League-mediated peace talks in Khartoum, stipulated that the two
sides should honor a previous June 22 truce pact, but did not
specify the details of how a unified national army would be created
and when the accord would take effect.
Talks between the government and the Islamic militia will be
resumed on Oct. 30 to discuss power-sharing and political and
security issues.
The Arab League initiative was part of international efforts to
restore peace and stability to Somalia and end competition between
different factions to fill the power vacuum.
On June 22, the transitional government and the Islamists signed
a preliminary accord after the latter routed a US-backed alliance
of warlords from Mogadishu, following fierce battles that alarmed
many.
At the time, the two sides agreed to meet again on July 15 to
thrash out security and governance arrangements, but by then the
Islamists had further expanded their territory, drawing charges
that they had reneged on the deal.
The United States, other Western countries and the UN have all
backed the Arab League initiative to bring the Islamists and the
government to peace talks in a bid to prevent conflict.
But the two sides are embroiled in long-standing disputes, one
argument being over any deployment of foreign peacekeepers.
(Xinhua News Agency September 5, 2006)
