Ethiopia officials in Somalia for crisis talks

05 August 2006

BAIDOA (Reuters) - Ethiopia's foreign affairs minister met top officials of Somalia's fragile interim administration on Saturday in an effort to help resolve a growing political crisis.

In the past week, 40 senior officials have deserted the government, many of them citing Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi's reluctance to reach out to rival Islamists who control the capital Mogadishu and a large swathe of south Somalia.

Ethiopia is the government's strongest regional ally but reports that it has sent troops to protect the administration has sparked a stand-off with the Islamists.

"An Ethiopian delegation led by Foreign Affairs Minister Seyoum Mesfin arrived this morning in Baidoa and held a closed-door meeting with President Abdullahi Yusuf," Somalia government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari told Reuters.

"They came to settle the differences between the top officials of Somalia's government."

Dinari said the delegation would also meet Gedi, who narrowly survived a crucial confidence motion last week, and has come under increased pressure to resign.

Politicians say the government is split between Yusuf and parliamentary speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan, and Gedi who asked for proposed peace talks with Islamists to be postponed.

The interim government enjoys Western backing, but has virtually no authority over the Horn of Africa country, which has not known proper central rule since the 1991 ouster of military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.

Islamists exposed the vulnerability of the administration, based in provincial town Baidoa, when they seized the capital Mogadishu from U.S.-backed warlords in June.

Many Somalis believe the reports of Ethiopian troops and blame Gedi for their deployment across the border. Ethiopia has repeatedly denied it has troops in Somalia.

The Islamists' most powerful leader, hardline cleric Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, has said his group will not negotiate unless Ethiopia withdraws its troops from Somali soil.

In a move to start rebuilding his government, Gedi appointed seven new ministers late on Friday, yet to be approved by Yusuf.

Before the appointments, almost half of the posts in the cabinet were empty after 16 ministers quit, one shot dead and four sacked. Diplomats had said that resignations may have ultimately allowed the Islamists to join the government.

Although the Islamists have not indicated an interest in power-sharing, they have welcomed the resignations and called on government officials to join them.