International   

Somalis sign peace pact

KHARTOUM: Somalia's largely powerless Government and a representative of the faction that controls the country's capital signed an agreement here that calls for an immediate cease-fire and confers militia recognition on the interim administration. ``The parties have committed themselves to cease all media and military campaigns,'' the secretary general of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, said at Thursday's signing ceremony, which was presided over by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. ``The two parties agreed to reach a compromise that preserves the unity and integrity of Somalia,'' Mr. Moussa told reporters. He said the delegation from the Islamic Courts Union, the militia that controls the capital Mogadishu and most of southern Somalia, agreed to recognise the legitimacy of the interim government, which is based in Baidoa, 250 km northwest of Mogadishu. — AP

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

`Plot' to blow up Sears Tower
LTTE demand regrettable, says Solheim
Kabul wants closer relations with Pakistan: Minister
Barbara Epstein, 1928-2006
Women on the ball
Chinese team at U.S. war games
Somalis sign peace pact
India-Singapore land route proposed to cut bandwidth cost, says Dayanidhi Maran

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu