Ethiopian PM in Mogadishu for first time since war

Mogadishu, June 6: Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi visited Mogadishu today for the first time since his army helped the interim Somali government defeat a militant Islamist movement five months ago, security sources said.

Meles, who has been the strongest foreign supporter of the Somali government and was instrumental in choosing its leaders, flew in secretly under heavy security, returning to a city where he stayed as a young rebel leader in exile in the 1980s.

Meles held talks with President Abdullahi Yusuf and others at the heavily guarded presidential compound, two security officials said on condition of anonymity.

''Meles met with Yusuf and the Prime Minister at Villa Somalia, and then went to the Ethiopian embassy next door, where he met with other government officials including the mayor of Mogadishu, the police chief and some clan elders,'' one said.

It was not clear what was discussed and a government spokesman could not be reached for comment. Meles left Mogadishu later in the day.

His visit comes just two days after Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi escaped a fourth attempt on his life, a suicide bombing that killed seven people outside his heavily guarded home in the seaside Somali capital.

The presence of Ethiopian soldiers has fuelled traditional resentment among Somalis who have for centuries viewed Ethiopia as a Christian imperialist power in the Horn of Africa.

The Islamists, whom Ethiopia, Somalia and the United States say have ties to al Qaeda, have vowed an Iraq-style insurgency until the interim government and Ethiopia are out of Somalia.

They have increasingly used suicide bombers, roadside blasts and assassinations, and have attacked African Union (AU) peacekeepers in the city from Uganda.

Meles has repeatedly said he wants to withdraw his soldiers because of the cost, but will not pull them out until more AU peacekeepers arrive to prevent a security vacuum.

The Ethiopian military, along with planes, tanks and helicopters, drove out militant Islamists who had taken control of southern Somalia last year and wanted to impose Islamic law, threatening the government's authority.

The interim Somali government is a 14th attempt at establishing national rule since anarchy erupted after the ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.

Reuters>