President starts tour of regions

The president of Somalia's Transitional National Government (TNG), Abdiqassim Salad Hassan, started a tour of the country's regions on Wednesday, the TNG information minister told IRIN on Thursday.

"The president and his delegation landed at Dhusa-Mareb [capital of Galgudud Region, central Somalia] airport], yesterday," Abdirahman Adan Ibrahim Ibbi said. Abdiqassim was on his way home after attending a summit of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (COMESSA). After a stop in Djibouti, he flew directly to Dhusa Mareb, about 400 km northeast of Mogadishu. He and his delegation were met by the governor of Galgudud Region, Yusuf Hasan Iyow Gobe, and other senior regional officials, Ibbi told IRIN.

Thousands of people gathered at the airport, which is about five kilometres outside the town, to welcome the president, a Dhusa Mareb resident told IRIN. "It seemed as if the whole town had turned up at the airport," businessman Abdullahi Fanah said. Abdiqassim, who arrived ahead of the security detail dispatched from Mogadishu, inspected a guard of honour mounted by the local police, and was escorted by local security officials, Fanah said.

This is the first time since his election in 2000 that the president has travelled within Somalia beyond the capital and its surrounding areas. "This is a very significant step, but he needs to go farther afield and visit other regions," a diplomatic source told IRIN.

On Wednesday evening, Abdiqassim met Galgudud community leaders, with whom he discussed ways of setting up "a functioning regional administration and district authorities", according to Ibbi.

"The president encouraged the leaders to hold a reconciliation conference within the region to sort out any existing differences affecting the community, before embarking on the task of setting up an autonomous regional administration and district authorities," Ibbi said. He added that Abdiqassim had stressed to his audience, which comprised elders, religious leaders, women's groups and civic leaders, that "the days when Mogadishu appointed local officials are over. You have to take responsibility for your affairs".

The president left for Abud Waq District, about 50 km west of Dusa Mareb, on Thursday morning, Fanah said.

Ibbi told IRIN that the president would tour all the region's districts, and "will probably proceed to other regions before he returns to Mogadishu".