Egypt said on Saturday that it regretted remarks by Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Gedi, who accused several countries including Egypt of seeking to fail the interim Somali government and fueling terrorism in the country.

Egypt's official MENA news agency quoted an unnamed source of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry as saying that Egypt was surprised at Gedi's remarks.

"Egypt has been exerting efforts to support peace and stability in Somalia and encouraging all parties to pursue dialogue to achieve reconciliation," the source said.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit has stepped up contacts with the regional and international parties to shore up support to the Somali government, according to the source.

Abul Gheit has also sought to encourage the Somali parties to pursue dialogue in recent talks in the Sudanese capital Khartoum under the auspices of the Cairo-based Arab League, MENA reported.

Earlier in the day, Gedi accused Egypt, Libya, Iran and Eritrea of fomenting terrorism in Somalia by providing weapons to Islamic militant groups, which have taken control of the Somali capital Mogadishu and south Somalia.

Source: Xinhua