Peace process on course, says Kenyan ambassador

The peace process under way in Kenya is on course and will move into its final phase soon, according to the Kenyan ambassador to Somalia. Ambassador Muhammad Abdi Affey told IRIN on Thursday that a plenary of the conference would be convened "within the next few days" to endorse the agreement signed by the Somali leaders on 29 January. The leaders of the Somali groups meeting in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on that day signed what has been described as "a landmark breakthrough" agreement on a number of contentious issues that had earlier been plaguing the peace talks. The agreement passed its first hurdle when the Transitional National Assembly of Somalia, gave it its blessing in the capital, Mogadishu, on 8 February. Affey said that when the document is presented to the plenary session he expected it to be endorsed. "We are encouraged by the commitment of the leaders and we are confident of a positive outcome," he asserted. He said that preparation were under way to bring traditional leaders from Somalia to the venue of the conference. They would have an important role in that final stage, for they would not only participate in the selection of future parliamentarians but would also "have to endorse the final list and give legitimacy to the final outcome and the process as a whole", a Somali delegate told IRIN. Preparations for final phase of the peace talks were proceeding smoothly, an IGAD source involved in the talks said. "We are putting all the pieces together, so we don't have any hitches," he told IRIN, adding that this phase "might take two months or more". This final phase involves the contentious issue of power-sharing, and therefore "we should not rush it, but take as much time as we need to make sure that the outcome is acceptable to both the Somalis and the international community," he stressed. Meanwhile, thousands of demonstrators had reportedly taken to the streets of Mogadishu on Wednesday, a local journalist said. "They were chanting slogans in support of the recently signed agreement and calling on the Somali leaders for once to keep their word", he told IRIN on Thursday. A much bigger demonstration in support of the peace process is planned for next week, said the journalist.