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Somalia: President Yusuf rejects to negotiate with Islamists
(SomaliNet) The Somali’s interim president Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed reiterated on Tuesday his refusal to enter dialogue with the leaders of the ousted Islamist movement – his latest remarks is contradicting recent announcement of holding talks with all parties in Somalia.

“They should be put on trail for their crimes,” he said. “They are to be blamed on instability and destruction in the country, so my government will neither negotiate nor pardon these criminals.”
In an interview with the Yemeni New Agency (Saba), president Yusuf who is now in Baidoa city southwest Somalia, said his government would never open talks with either moderates or hardliners of the defeated Islamic Courts, arguing that there are no Islamist leaders on the earth.

Mr. Yusuf called the remnants of the Islamic Courts as criminals who do not deserve to be negotiated with. Mr. Yusuf accused the ousted Islamist leaders of assassination attempts against a number of Somali officials including him, premier Ali Mohammed Gedi and the president of the breakaway republic of Somaliland. “They should be put on trail for their crimes,” he said. “They are to be blamed on instability and destruction in the country, so my government will neither negotiate nor pardon these criminals.”

Yusuf said Sheik Ahmed; the leader of executive council of Islamic Courts is the actor of all what happened in Somalia.

The US and European governments are pressing the government led by Mr. yusuf to hold an inclusive talks, particularly to negotiate with the moderate Islamists. Despite that, president Yusuf accepted to hold national reconciliation conference but he totally opposes to allow Islamists to become part of he government.

Mr. Yusuf has also asserted that a group of “terrorists” are responsible for the series of nightly mortar attacks against the government and Ethiopian military positions in the capital. “These guys believe if I am killed, my government will collapse. If I die, my government will still function,” he said.
Posted by: Fred 2007-02-07
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=179737