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The Djibouti
government has dispatched two top level delegations to southern
Somalia as part of its last attempts to seek further support
for the Somalia Reconciliation Conference due to start in
Djibouti in a week's time.
The landing
of a Djibouti delegation in Baidoa town, Bay region on Wednesday
turned out to be a victorious move in the wake of the latest
breakthrough in the encouragement of the convening of the
Djibouti peace conference for the Somalis.
The leaders
of the Rahanwein Resistance Army (RRA) controlling the region
had been among the outspoken leaders opposing to the Djibouti
peace plan until early this week.
However,
underground talks have been continuing between the top leaders
of the RRA and some Djiboutian diplomats who in the end seemed
to have persuaded the RRA to join their fellow Somalis in
the Djibouti conference.
As a result,
the four-member delegation, which was led by Second Deputy
Chairman of Djibouti parliament Iddiris Harbi Farah, were
welcomed by hundreds of people at the airport.
Among
them were RRA Chairman Hassan Mohamed Nur Shargudud, Governor
of Bay region Mohamed Ali Aden Qalinleh and dozens of officials
from various social groups.
Qalinleh,
when contacted on the telephone line Wednesday afternoon,
told the reporter that the meeting with the Djibouti delegation
is to start later soon, and that everything depends on the
outcome of the meeting.
"If we
agree we will attend the Djibouti conference, and if not we
won't, " he said with a sound of optimism.
Before
the delegation arrived in Baidoa, their plane landed in the
regional capital of Hiran, Beleteuin town, where another four-member
delegation was dropped for the people of Hiran.
Region
Governor Hassan Abdulleh Qalad and Chairman of the local Islamic
court Sheikh Abdullahi Ali Barkhadleh were among the dozens
of high ranking officials and traditional leaders to welcome
the delegation led by Abdullahi Hashi Ali.
The delegation
had a closed-door meeting with local officials including Muslim
scholars and traditional leaders.
Although
the details of their discussion are not known, it is widely
believed that both the Djibouti delegations are conveying
invitations for the local authorities in both regions to attend
the forthcoming reconciliation conference.
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