Saleh Mediates between Ahmed and US
SomaliNet) The Yemeni government is currently involving in efforts to act as a go-between the US government and the second man of Islamists leadership who is now being held in Nairobi under the protection of Kenyan authorities, reliable sources reports on Thursday.
Yemeni officials are secretly trying to hold talks between Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed and the United States government over Somalia future.
Washington sees Sheik Ahmed as moderate cleric who has wide support in Somalia and can play a positive role in the reconciliation process in the war-torn country (Somalia).
Sources from Nairobi indicate that Sheik Sharif might be extradited to an Arab state, possibly Yemen.
Meanwhile, yesterday Nairobi based Daily Standard newspaper reported that Somalia Prime Minister Ali Mohamed said his government wants Sheik Sharrif and his supporters to participate in the ongoing reconciliation talks.
Premier Gedi made the statement before flying from Nairobi and returning to Mogadishu.
“We want all UIC officials and supporters including Sheikh Sharrif to come to Mogadishu for talks in Somalia,” he was quoted as saying.
Gedi added that none of them would be persecuted in Mogadishu since his government’s aim is to restore peace and order rather than revenge.
The United States believes that Somalia’s hard-line Islamists forcefully driven out of the country by government troops backed by Ethiopian military forces may reorganize themselves in Saudi Arabia, Eritrea and Yemen, Jendayi Frazer, US assistant secretary of state for African affairs, said on Wednesday.
Speaking to the Financial Times in Addis Ababa, Ms Frazer said it was too early to tell who among the Islamist leadership had survived Ethiopia’s invasion last month and subsequent US air strikes on alleged affiliates of al-Qaeda.
“It is going to take some time for the fog of war to clear up and we have an ability to see who is still operating and how they are operating,” she said.
Well we know where three of the leaders are.
NY:
The Yemeni foreign ministry accused the Ethiopian forces of detaining a Yemeni national in Somalia, but it did not identify the Yemeni person.
The Ethiopian prime minister Melease Zinawi said that the Ethiopian forces had arrested a group of Yemenis who were fighting with the forces of the Somali Islamic Courts against the Somali interim government and Ethiopian forces.
Our embassy in Addis Ababa is contacting with the Ethiopian side on the case of those persons to check their identity, Yemeni foreign minister, Abu Bakr al-Qirbi, told Naspress.
This is the first time Yemen and Ethiopia exchange such accusations since the Ethiopian forces have entered Mogadishu.
Observers fears arouse that such statements might affect relations between Yemen and Ethiopia and the coming summit of Sana’a Forum for Cooperation supposed to be held in Addis Ababa.
