In an
attempt to break the deadlock over the apportionment of clan-based
parliamentary seats, Somalis at the Djibouti-hosted peace
talks have set up arbitration groups, according to sources
close to the conference.
The Somali
National Peace Conference - already given two revised finishing
dates - is far behind its original schedule because of the
prolonged deadlock.
The 225
seats on the proposed Transitional National Assembly have
been divided up between major clans, but sub-clans are struggling
to divide up their quota. Only one group, "the minorities",
have succeeded in handing in a list of deputies, AFP reported.
The four
main clans - the Darod, the Hawiye, the Rahanwein and the
Dir - are still to submit a list of names.
The Rahanwein
is struggling with a demand from faction leader Hassan Mohamed
Nur ("Shatigudud") to give a special quota of seats to his
Rahanwein Resistance Army (RRA), AFP reported from Djibouti.
SOMALIA:
Hostage negotiations "complicated"
The non-governmental
organisation Action Contre la Faim (ACF) said on Monday that
complex negotiations were ongoing for the release of two staff
members kidnapped in the Somali capital, Mogadishu.
A statement
said "numerous rumours, often unfounded, were circulating
in Mogadishu about the hostage-taking" of Francoise Deutsch
(46) and Jonathan Ward (31).
The organisation
said it had decided to limit public information to avoid making
"already complex negotiations more difficult", and to assure
its workers' safety.
The agency
remained extremely active in its efforts to secure the rapid
release of its staff members, without preconditions, the statement
said.
The two
aid workers were seized from their compound early on Wednesday
26 July by armed militia in southern Mogadishu. Monetary demands
have not been made public.
Faction
leaders in the area have distanced themselves from the kidnapping,
and there have been public demonstrations against the gunmen
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