MOGADISHU, Somalia, June 6 (UPI) -- The top U.N. envoy for Somalia calls on Islamic forces, which have reportedly taken control of the capital Mogadishu, to begin peace talks.
"Members of the international community welcome reconciliatory statements from the transitional federal institutions and encourage a similar approach from the Union of Islamic Courts and other parties in Mogadishu," Francois Lonseny Fall, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's special representative for Somalia, said in a statement Tuesday.
The transitional government, based in Baidoa, about 155 miles southwest of Mogadishu, has been working with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the African Union and others to develop a national security and stabilization plan.
"The international community reiterates its support to the efforts of the TFIs in pursuing dialogue, reconciliation and stable governance in accordance with the Transitional Federal Charter, and stands ready to provide assistance within this framework," Fall added.
Somalia, a country of 8 million people forming the Horn of Africa, is one of the world's poorest and has been torn by factional fighting for the past 15 years. Since 1991, it has been without a functioning government.
In addition to the factional fighting, Somalia has been beset by serious drought.
Currently Mogadishu is the only capital in the world where the United Nations does not have access for international humanitarian staff, due to insecurity, despite an estimated 250,000 internally displaced people living in the city.
