Somali civil society groups boycott the reconciliation congr

[Hiiraan boy]

Somali civil society groups boycott the reconciliation congress

Aweys Osman Yusuf

Mogadishu 18, July.07 ( Sh.M.Network)- Somalia's civil society organizations boycotted the country's national reconciliation congress which is due to resume tomorrow.

Abdi Kafi Hilowle, the coordinator of Somalia's civil society organizations, told Shabelle on Wednesday that there were no hostilities in Somalia's diverse clans. "What is so important and most needed in this country is a political reconciliation," he said.

He said his civil groups sent a written message to the chairman of the reconciliation committee, Ali Mahdi Mohammed, over their desire to participate in the congress. "Ali Mahdi objected the country's civil society groups to attend the peace talks, therefore, we are beginning to suspect that the congress would achieve no tangible consequences," he said.

He said the government should try to negotiate with the opposition groups, including the defeated Union of Islamic Courts.

Nonetheless, Somalia's premier, Ali Mohammed Gedi, warned Wednesday that the national reconciliation conference could fail because of lack financial support from donor countries like the United States and the European Union, according to Asharqalawsat, an Arabic online newspaper based in London.