Premier in Kuwait on first state visit

The prime minister of Somalia's Transitional National Government (TNG) arrived in Kuwait on Monday on his first state visit since his appointment last November.

Hasan Abshir Farah, accompanied by a six-man delegation, is in Kuwait on a four-day state visit at the invitation of the Kuwaiti government. He was met on arrival by Shaykh Sabah Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah, the foreign minister and acting prime minister.

Ahmad Ise Awad, the chief of staff in Abshir's office, told IRIN on Wednesday that the prime minister had held talks with the head of the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab development. According to Awad, the discussions on Tuesday centred on Somalia's debt to the Fund, and renewed aid for the country. The premier requested Kuwaiti funding for water projects and the rehabilitation of health services in Somalia.

Later on Tuesday, Abshir attended a working lunch hosted in his honour by Shaykh Sabah Ahmad al-Sabah. The prime minister had taken the opportunity "to brief his hosts on the situation in Somalia and the Horn of Africa", said Awad.

He told IRIN that the two sides had reached agreement "on all issues discussed". The prime minister was also scheduled to meet the Somali community in Kuwait, he said.

Abshir, who suffers from diabetes, was flown to the United Arab Emirates on 4 April, where he spent nearly three weeks undergoing treatment. "The prime minister is now in excellent health, and will probably proceed to visit other Arab states," Awad said.