Djibouti "fully engaged" in Somali talks

The Djibouti government has denied allegations that it is adopting a passive role in the Somali peace talks, currently underway in Kenya. Reacting to reports published on Somali websites last week, Djibouti's foreign ministry spokesman Siad Duale, told IRIN his country remains "actively engaged" in the Somali peace process. "We will remain fully and actively engaged and with keen interest in the process," he said on Monday. "Any suggestions to the contrary are simply not supported by the facts." He added that the overall responsibility for the success or failure of the talks "remains with the Somalis". "This can only be achieved through hard work, intense negotiations that entail a process of give-and-take, compromise and tolerance," he said. A separate Djibouti foreign ministry statement recalled that the role of the regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) technical committee, which is steering the peace talks, was that of facilitator. "Djibouti has played a crucially positive role hailed by both Somalis and the international observers as supportive, constructive and most importantly neutral," the statement stressed. It went on say that Djibouti had "constantly supported the view that the technical committee should remain neutral. We dropped loud hints and occasionally made statements on that often-crucial point at important fora". The statement reiterated Djibouti's commitment to resolving the Somali crisis.