Egypt supports Somalia to regain its stability
Somalia-Egypt, Politics, 9/5/2000

Somali President Abdul Kassim Salat Hassan, now in Cairo, Monday received a phone call from President Hosni Mubarak.

The Somali President said Mubarak congratulated him on his new post and reiterated Egypt's backing to Somalia until it regains its security and stability.

A transitional parliament last week elected Hassan hopefully to pull out the Horn of Africa country from a decade of anarchy and civil war.

Newly elected Somali President received on Monday Foreign Minister Amr Moussa, who said, following the meeting, that he conveyed to the Somali Leader greetings from President Hosni Mubarak.

Moussa said that while expressing Egypt's support for his election, he held talks with Hassan on future Egyptian-Somali relations.

He expressed Egypt's readiness to contribute to reconstruction operations in Somalia.

He said that the Arab League will issue resolutions on Somalia that would support the new leadership and pave the way for Arab participation in the reconstruction of Mogadishu.

Somalia and Egypt have had deeply rooted ties and: "We are happy that Somalia has now a leader, a government and a system," he said.

Moussa stressed that there is no party willing to deal with warlords or mercenaries on the future of Somalia.

"Egypt now deals with a Presidency, a would-be government, and an official interim group that are trying to re-arrange the state," Moussa added.

Answering a query whether Egypt received definite demands to help rebuild Somalia, Moussa said that a meeting will be held between Egyptian and Somali teams to discuss the Somali needs and how Egypt could help to cover them.

And asked on any Egyptian moves towards the opposition forces to make them support the new regime, Moussa said that it is a possibility on the part of Egypt or other Arab states.

"Egypt is working in such a trend to guarantee that the situation in Somalia will not regress and that all Somali forces are working behind the new government," Moussa said.

Previous Stories:
  New Somali president arrives in Makadishu   (8/31/2000)
  Somalia to take part in Arab foreign ministers council   (8/30/2000)
  Djibouti minister: Egyptian - Djibouti achieves the national rapport in Somal'   (7/5/2000)

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