U.S. pledges support for Somalia reconciliation conference

The United States on Wednesday pledged support for the upcoming Somali reconciliation conference, saying it was the best chance for the transitional government to chart out its democratic future for decades.

Addressing a news conference in Nairobi, U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, Michael Ranneberger, urged the transitional government to make the conference inclusive by reaching out to the country's recently ousted Islamic militants.

"We do think this is probably the best prospects in almost two decades for Somalia to chart its democratic future. In order to do that we are asking the government to establish security on the ground by ensuring that terrorists do not use Somalia as a safe haven," Ranneberger told reporters in Nairobi.

"We are also continuing to support the process of national reconciliation and also the deployment of African Union forces. There is also substantial funding we are seeking to support urgent developments in Somalia," the envoy said.

"The plan for national reconciliation is very promising. The document specifically talks about national power sharing within the transitional federal institutions. Our overall conclusion is that the process needs to be as much more inclusive as positive."

The transitional government has been under intense pressure from Ethiopia, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations to expand his support base by bringing all Somali parties, including moderate Islamists and powerful clans to the negotiating table.

Exiled Islamist leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, who is considered a moderate of the once powerful movement that had controlled Mogadishu and much of the south and central Somalia since June, is one of the figures western nations see as crucial for reconciliation.

"We do think the situation in Somalia is moving forward in a very positive way. We do think there are good prospects to consolidate peace and democratic governance in the coming months in Somalia," said Ranneberger.

He said Washington has pledged to finance efforts to stabilize Somalia, with an initial pledge to provide 14 million dollars for peacekeeping operations through the African Union (AU).

It is also providing 26 million dollars for development and humanitarian efforts in Somalia.

"The 40 million dollars is already being spent in Somalia. The additional funds amounting to 60 million dollars would help finance development efforts and also fund AU peacekeepers to help stabilize Somalia," said Ranneberger.

The AU has so far deployed two battalions of just over 1,200 Ugandan peacekeepers in Somalia, out of a planned 8,000, for six months. Burundi, Nigeria, Ghana and Malawi have also pledged to contribute.

The transitional government pledged to secure and stabilize Mogadishu within 30 days. But residents, who have borne the brunt of daily mortar and small arms fire from insurgents, have continued to flee Mogadishu.

Since Ethiopian-backed transitional government troops seized the capital from Islamist fighters, the government has moved slowly to fill the security vacuum.

The United Nations, Washington and AU all want to deploy African peacekeepers to stop Somalia from returning to the clan- based violence and anarchy that has characterized the country since 1991 when warlords overthrew a dictator and then turned on each other.

But analysts said no country was likely to send peacekeepers into Somalia while there is fighting, which has continued sporadically since the government took over Mogadishu.

Masked men believed to be remnants of the ousted Islamic militants dragged the corpses of two soldiers through the streets of the Somali capital on Wednesday and set their bodies on fire during fierce battles with government and Ethiopian forces trying to consolidate their control of Mogadishu.

Medical officials said they had recorded at least seven dead and 36 wounded in some of the heaviest fighting in Mogadishu since the Islamic forces were driven out in December.

Source: Xinhua