Preparations continue for final phase of peace talks

Preparations for the third and final phase of the Somali peace talks were proceeding smoothly on Friday, according to an Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) source involved in the proceedings.

He told IRIN that the organisers of the talks, which are being held in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, under the auspices of IGAD, were pleased with "the way things were moving". "We have already started bringing in traditional elders from Somalia," he said.

The organisers, the source added, were confident that Somali political leaders who were in Somalia "will be here before the [IGAD foreign] ministers' meeting on 6 May".

"We are putting all the pieces together, so we don't have any hitches," he told IRIN.

The source predicted that the process would go ahead despite a boycott threat by some faction leaders. "Those who matter on the ground will be here. We cannot afford to allow a few selfish individuals to hold the process hostage," he said.

A group of faction leaders who abandoned the current peace talks in Kenya have been holding separate talks in Jowhar, 90 km north of the Somali capital, Mogadishu. They said they would not return to Nairobi as requested by the IGAD mediators, but would rather hold the final phase inside the country, one the leaders told IRIN this week.

The IGAD source told IRIN that the charge brought by some delegates that IGAD was selecting delegates for the final phase was mistaken. "Unfortunately, in this process there will always be lamentations," he said. "In this final phase delegates must come through their respective clans. Nobody comes automatically. Those who are complaining should prevail upon their clans to select them. It [selection] has nothing to do with IGAD."

He added: "As the final phase involved the contentious issue of power-sharing, we should not rush it, but take as much time as we need to ensure that the outcome is acceptable to both the Somalis and the international community. But we are hopeful that we will meet all of our deadlines."

The IGAD-sponsored talks began in October 2002 in the western Kenyan town of Eldoret, but were moved to Nairobi in February 2003. They have been dogged by wrangles over issues such as an interim charter, the number of participants and the selection of future parliamentarians.