Aideed: Gaddafi achieved national reconciliation in Somalia

Somali warlord Hussein Aideed arrived in Cairo heading a large delegation coming from Libya to meet with Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa and Egyptian leaders who are concerned with the Somali crisis.

Delegation member Khalifa Haras Ali told ArabicNews.com today that the delegation arrived in Cairo on last Wednesday in a visit at the Egyptian government's invitation that aims at discussing the problems that obstruct a comprehensive reconciliation in Somalia and convening a reconciliation conference.

He stated that the reconciliation conference that was to be held in January in Bendada was postponed until the end of February.

Aideed, while visiting Libya, said that the warring groups in his country have reached national reconciliation and are preparing to form a national unity government, thanks to the mediation carried out by Libyan leader Col. Moammar Gaddafi, who received Aideed together with his opponent Mahdi Muhammad at the beginning of this week.

Libyan television quoted Aideed as saying, "I am grateful to Col. Gaddafi for the efforts he exerted and he has already made for national reconciliation which has been maintained in Somalia under his direct supervision."

However, in an interview with the Somali magazine " Sana," Aideed accused Ethiopia of provoking violence among Somali tribes through encouraging their rival leaders to fight one another in the southern regions of Bay and Bakool.