TASEK PAUH blogspot

The US ambassador to Kenya has held talks with a key leader of Somalia's Islamic courts movement to urge him to have his supporters renounce violence.

US officials said Michael Ranneberger met Sharif Ahmed (picture left) in Nairobi, where he has been in the protective custody of the Kenyan authorities since turning himself in.

Details of the meeting were not clear, but Jennifer Barnes, a US embassy spokeswoman, said earlier in the week that the envoy would urge Ahmed to ask his supporters to avoid violence and to support the development of an inclusive government in Somalia.

Ahmed is head of the executive wing of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) in Somalia.

Mohammed Adow, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Somalia, said: "Diplomats have always seen the need for dialogue and national reconciliation to inject some energy into the peace process - Ahmed who led the union is seen as crucial for any dialogue to go ahead."

On Monday, Ali Mohamed Gedi, the Somali prime minister, welcomed the Islamic courts leaders back in Somalia in order to participate in talks aimed at forming an all-inclusive administration in Somalia. alJazeera and Agencies

Labels: Berita, Luar Negeri, Somalia