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Islamists And IGAD Reach an Agreement

Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu)
NEWS
December 4, 2006
Posted to the web December 4, 2006

By Aweys Osman Yusuf
Mogadishu
In an interview with Union of Islamic Courts chair for foreign affairs by
Shabelle Radio, Ibrahim Hassan Adow said the Islamic Courts and the
Intergovernmental Authority on Development known as IGAD have reached an
agreement that calls on the cession of African troop deployment to Somalia and
keeping the arms embargo on Somalia in place.
Adow, who is in neighboring Djibouti, told Shabelle by telephone that they
submitted a written statement to United Nations, EU, AU and the Arab League
indicating that if foreign peacekeeping forces are deployed in Somalia, there
will be bloody war in the entire region.
"We have reached an agreement with IGAD to fortify that IGAD should not
position their troops in Somalia and that arms embargo on Somalia should be
tightened", he said. Adow discredited the prevalence of the Somali transitional
federal government based in Baidoa, southern Somalia, calling it
disadvantageous government that only escalated the troubles of the Somali
people.
He also said that there was ongoing negotiation between the Kenyan government
and Islamists to resolve their discord, indicating that Islamists have good
relations with Djibouti that hosted IGAD and Islamist talks in the capital
Djibouti. "IGAD has now realized the power of Somalia's Islamic Courts and that
we administer most of the country", he said.
The Islamic Courts delegation in Djibouti is led by the Courts executive
council leader Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed after he was invited by Djibouti
authority to discard the difference between the Union of Islamic Courts and
East African regional body, IGAD.
Neither member states of IGAD nor the host country Djibouti were available for
comments over the agreement.


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