Somali President attends his first Arab League Summit

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud has underlined his government’s commitment to expand its rule to all the regions of the civil-war plagued Horn of Africa country.

Addressing the Arab League Summit in Doha, Qatar, President Mohamoud said his government would strive for a united and stable Somalia.

The Somali leader left the capital Mogadishu for Doha Monday to participate, for the first time, in the Arab League Summit.

The conference was opened by the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

Among other issues, Sheikh Al Thani cited Somalia as a country in need of assistance.

“Arab countries should lend a helping hand to the new government of Somalia,” said Sheikh Al Thani.

According to reports reaching Mogadishu, the Arab League Secretariat in a final communiqué, urged the international community to support Somalia.

President Mohamoud said: “We are aiming to let the inhabitants of Somalia benefit from sound public services.”

The summit provided the Somali President with an opportunity to explain to other leaders his government’s plans, especially the stabilisation of the war-torn nation.

After the two-day summit, President Mohamoud was expected to proceed to the United Arab Emirates where he was scheduled to meet with President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud Silanyo of Somaliland.

In May 1991, Somaliland declared a republic independent from the rest of Somalia, following the collapse of the central government in Mogadishu led by the late dictator General Mohamed Siad Barre.

In February 2012, a conference on Somalia held in London, UK, recognised the need for the international community to support any dialogue that Somaliland and the Somali government may agree to establish in order to clarify their future relations.

AllAfrica.com