Asmara, (insidesomalia.org)-The chairman of the Consultative Council of Union of Islamic Courts, Sheikh Hasan Dahir Aweys, has asked the Arab League states meeting in Damascus, Syria on 29 March to pressure Ethiopia to withdraw its troops from Somalia.

Sheikh Hasan Dahir Aweys, the chairman of the Consultative Council of Union of Islamic Courts, who is in Asmara, Eritrea, has urged Arab nations meeting in Damascus, Syria on 29 March to pressure the Ethiopian prime minister, Meles Zenawi, to withdraw his troops from Somalia.

Speaking to Al-Arabiya website in an exclusive telephone interview, Aweys said that the position of Arab countries on the conflict in Somalia is unclear. The Shaykh asked leaders and officials of Arab countries to clearly state their position regarding the situation in Somalia. Aweys added that Arab countries have a responsibility to ask Ethiopia to withdraw its troops from Somalia because Ethiopian troops are massacring Somali civilians. He added that it is impossible to find a solution to the situation in Somalia as long as Ethiopian troops are in Somalia.

The Sheikh said that the position of Arab countries regarding the situation in Somalia is one-sided and has asked them [Arab countries] to change their position over the situation in Somalia. Aweys, who is seen by the US and Ethiopian governments as an obstacle to their interests in the Horn of Africa in the 90's, added that they will continue fighting until they rid Somalia of Ethiopian troops and other peacekeepers.

The Sheikh added that the solution to Somalia's problems would be easily found if foreign troops are withdrawn from the country. The Shaykh said that the president of Somalia, Abdullah Yusuf and Prime Minister Nur Adde are puppets working for colonial troops. Aweys ruled out holding any talks with Nur Adde's government which recently announced that it would hold talks with opposition groups. He added that it was impossible to hold talks with Nur Adde's government as long as Ethiopian troops are inside Somalia.

Source: Shabelle Media Network

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