By Prensa Latina,
Addis Ababa : Representatives of the Somalian transition government and the opposition in exile are expected to meet in Djibouti on May 10, a note from the Ethiopian Foreign Minister announced on Saturday.
These talks are part of pro-reconciliation efforts by Somalian Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein.
It is the first such meeting between the Executive of the neighboring country and the members of ARS ( Alliancefor the Re-Liberation of Somalia, a Muslim-led coalition.
African and world community harbour hopes that this meeting can contribute to put an end to armed clashes in Somalia.
However, recent incidents cast a shadow over the possibility of a peaceful solution and negotiations might take time due to an escalation of violence in Mogadishu, according to analysts.
At least 70 people were killed over the last weekend in the capital during clashes between insurgents and Ethiopian troops allied to the Somalian government.
The country has been in civil war since 1991, in the wake of a coup which ousted Mohamed Siad Barre, with the capital becoming a theatre of military operations between Ethiopian forces supporting the transition government and militiamen from the Islamic Courts Union.
The latter managed to control most of the country in 2006, but an offensive of the Ethiopian army forced them to withdraw in December that year, and the flare and roar of guns have not stopped since then.