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Peace talks in Somalia

MOGADISHU (Somalia): The Government has begun a weeklong meeting with an array of leaders in Somalia's capital, which has seen spiralling violence over the past month, as part of promised efforts to reconcile Somalis after 16 years of conflict. The capital, Mogadishu, and much of southern Somalia has borne the brunt of the country's conflict that began in 1991 when clan-based warlords toppled dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and then turned on one another, sinking the Horn of Africa nation of 7 million people into chaos. Mogadishu also saw the heaviest fighting when Government forces — backed by Ethiopian troops, war planes and tanks — ousted the country's Islamic movement from its southern Somalia strongholds that included the capital. ``I hope it will be the beginning of reconciliation among the people of Mogadishu, which is the mirror of all of Somalia and I hope if a solution is found here, other areas will be peaceful,'' Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi told the meeting on Monday in comments broadcast on local radio. The National Reconciliation Commission said the elders, traditional chiefs, representatives of private aid and development groups will discuss their roles in restoring security in the capital. — AP

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