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A technical committee to prepare for Somali reconciliation talks, due later this month, is to meet in Nairobi on Wednesday, a Kenyan official confirmed to IRIN on Tuesday.
Ministers attending a conference on Somalia of the regional grouping, Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD ), in February agreed to set up the technical committee. It comprises members from the states bordering Somalia - namely, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya - who will prepare for a reconciliation conference, due to be held in the second half of April, according to a statement issued at the time.
The three countries will coordinate their positions, draw up terms of reference for the conference and decide on participation, Kenyan Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Mohammed Abdi Affey told IRIN last week.
The talks, which are to bring together the Transitional National Government and other Somali parties, are expected to take place no later than the end of April.
A diplomatic source, however, told IRIN on Tuesday, that the April date for the conference "was too optimistic, given the fact that the technical committee is to meet for the first time on Wednesday". According to the source, much planning is required to prepare the ground "if they hope to have a successful reconciliation conference".
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
