BBC MONITORING INTERNATIONAL REPORTS: SOMALIA: FACTION LEADER AYDID RETURNS FROM ERITREA

BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom ; 17-May-2000 12:00:00 am

Text of report by Somali pro-Husayn Muhammad Farah Aydid radio on 17th May

Mr Husayn Muhammad Aydid, the chairman of the SNA [Somali National Alliance] and his large delegation returned to Mogadishu today after concluding their visit to some African countries. The delegation, which included Muhammad Qanyareh Afrah, Uthman Hasan Ali Ato, Muhammad Nur Aliyow, Abd al-Karim Muhammad Ali, and Prof Iseh Muhammad Siyad were accorded warm reception at Number 50 airport by senior politicians.

Mr Aydid said he held discussions with the leaders of the countries he visited on strengthening bilateral relations, and agreed on the need to continue with reconciliation efforts in Somalia. He said they also noted that the so-called peace conference in Djibouti did not reflect the interests of Somalis but was an obstacle to the country's unity and efforts to set up a broad-based national government.