Coleman urges reconciliation by Somali factions

Kevin Diaz

Minneapolis Star Tribune

WASHINGTON - Sen. Norm Coleman waded into the question of sending United Nations peacekeepers into Somalia, urging the leader of the African nation's transitional government Tuesday to promote reconciliation among all factions that are "not associated with terrorism."

The Minnesota Republican met with Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, president of the Ethiopian-backed Transitional Federal Republic of Somalia, which has been warring with Islamist forces who controlled wide swaths of the country for more than a decade.

"I emphasized that reconciliation is the key to future peace in Somalia," said Coleman, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.