IGAD urges Somali leaders to attend reconciliation conference

The "governmental commission for the development of East Africa" (IGAD) called on the warring Somali factions to attend a reconciliation conference to be held in Kenya on December 18.

Kenya's foreign minister warned after a meeting for IGAD's foreign ministers on Monday that any leader who does not attend the meeting will be considered "an enemy for this operation, and will be dealt with on this ground." He added "the patience of everyone is near expiring." IGAD postponed the meeting which was due Tuesday until December 18 to facilitate making more consultations.

In a separate development, the leader of the Somali provisional government Abdul Qasem Salat Hassan appointed Muhammad Abdi Youssef as a new prime minister in Makadishu on Monday.

In the celebration at the taking oath ceremony for the prime minister, Hassan said "the international community should understand that Somalia is for the Somalis." He added that "Kenya's conference is a conference of the dead." Hassan who gave up the talks in Nairobi said earlier that he will not attend the meeting of IGAD' leaders.

Somalia which had lacked central authority since the toppling of the regime of Seyad Berri in 1991 was divided to several sectors ruled by warlords who ignored 14 peace initiative over a decade.