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Somali peace talks collapse
 Peace talks in Somalia have failed after interim government delegates informed the opposition that Ethiopian forces would not leave Somalia. On Saturday, the third round of negotiations in Djibouti faced major obstacles, after government delegates, General Abdi Hassan Awaale and Mohammad Warsamme Darwiidh informed the UN representative and opposition groups that Ethiopian forces would not leave unless UN multi-national troops take over Somalia towns. Government delegates also said that Ethiopian forces would stay in Somalia until the interim government gets enough strength to defend itself against the insurgency. After hearing the statement from government delegates, opposition members walked out of the meeting in protest. Government officials have confirmed the failure of the peace talks despite efforts by UN representative, Ahmed Ould Abdallah to keep the effort going. In a contact with a PressTV following the breakdown of the session, the opposition said that they have control of over 95 percent of Somalia and asked why Ethiopian forces do not intend to leave the country and continue supporting the unpopular transition government in Somalia. Posted by: Fred 2008-10-26 |
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