Somali parties to peace talks, aimed at ending the civil war in Somalia, have reached a power-sharing deal in neighboring Djibouti that doubled the size of parliament, the United Nations’ news portal IRIN reported.
Representatives of Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and a faction of the Eritrea-based Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS), led by Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmad, began their latest talks on November 22.
"This is a historical agreement, which works for the interest of the Somali people,” said Ahmad, according to The Media Line’s (TML) reporter in Somalia.
TML’s reporter added that Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad ‘Abdi Salan was also optimistic following the signing ceremony.
"Somalis realized their interests. This agreement will simplify the development of the Somali people who were drained by civil war conflicts," ‘Abdi Salan said.
The agreement provides for the enlargement of parliament to 550 members from the current 275. Two hundred seats will go to the ARS and 75 to civil society, including women, the business community and the diaspora. The talks also extended the life of the transitional period for two years, beginning from August 2009.
Nevertheless, sources in Somalia asserted that the agreement, which aimed to put an end to two decades of civil war, would be hard to implement.
On the one hand, interim President ‘Abdullahi Yousuf was not involved in the negotiations and opposed the deal reached. Yousuf’s close adviser, MP ‘Abd A-Rashid Muhammad Iro, said the president did not regard the agreement as binding.
"A 550-member parliament for Somalia is simply unrealistic and unsustainable," Iro said.
On the other hand, two major opposition groups have also rejected the agreement, TML’s reporter in Somalia adds: the Asmara-based faction of ARS and the armed group Shabab, which continues to fight the TFG inside Somalia.