Somali president leaves for UN meeting

MOGADISHU, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud on Monday left for a UN summit meeting in New York this week, state radio reported.

The Somali leader will speak at the summit that is expected to bring world heads of states and government in New York to tackle key issues affecting the world.

The president will brief the UN meeting about progress made by his government in various areas, particularly on security and the fight against Islamist militant group of Al-Shabaab.

Somali government and African Union peacekeeping forces have recently launched a major offensive to retake areas still under Al- Shabaab control in south and centre of the country.

Th Somali government has pledged to intensify the fight against Al-Shabaab and made the horn of Africa nation free of militants by 2015, and ready for the 2016 elections when the tenure of the current government ends.

During his stay in New York, the president will also hold bilateral meeting with key world leaders on issues of mutual interest, state radio Mogadishu reported.

He is expected to meet his Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta to discuss the maritime border dispute, on which Somalia logged for compliant to the International Court of Justice in Hague for arbitration on the dispute.