Somali Islamists arrive in Yemen, officials say

ADEN, Yemen, Jan 6 (Reuters) Somali Islamist leaders ousted by Ethiopian-backed forces have arrived in nearby Yemen, creating an opportunity for talks with Somalia's interim government, Yemen's foreign minister was quoted as saying.

News of their presence coincided with a visit to Aden of a senior US diplomat, who called for dialogue between Somali groups, including ''remnants'' of the defeated Islamist movement.

''Our governments believe in inclusive dialogue among the Somali people, meaning reaching out now to all groups including ...

remnants of the Islamic Courts,'' Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer said after talks with Yemen's president today.

Washington earlier this week said US forces were deployed off Somalia's coast to block the escape of members of the ousted Islamist government which it accused of ties to al Qaeda.

But Frazer's comments suggested she was in favour of engaging at least some of them in talks on the country's future.

Yemen, which has cracked down on Islamist militants in the country since the September. 11 attacks on US cities, lies across the Gulf of Aden from the Horn of Africa country and Somali refugees often land on its shores.

Foreign Minister Abubakr al-Qirbi, quoted by the United Arab Emirates daily al-Khaleej, said some of the leaders of Somalia's Islamic Courts Council had arrived in Yemen after their defeat.

''Their presence ... creates an opportunity to seek an agreement between them and the transitional government of Somalia,'' the daily quoted him as saying.

''Our role now is to continue ... to support the transitional government to establish stability, disarm militias and continue a dialogue with the Islamic Courts and other Somali sides.'' Yemen last month hosted talks between Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, a leader of the Islamist movement, and Somali Parliament Speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan who had tried to mediate between Islamists and the interim government.

Qirbi did not give details on how the Islamists arrived in Yemen or how many they were and it was not immediately clear whether Frazer discussed their presence in her meeting with Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

But a Yemeni official said: ''They represent the Islamic Courts and their presence in Yemen might facilitate any potential dialogue on ... future relations with the government.'' The Islamists took control of much of southern Somalia in June but have been forced into hiding after being routed from their strongholds by Ethiopian military defending Somalia's interim government in two weeks of full-scale warfare.

They have vowed to fight on, melting into the hills in Somalia's remote southern tip where Ethiopian and government forces are hunting hundreds of their fighters.

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