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Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed on Saturday presented to the parliament the makeup of his new government and its program for approval. Since his appointment in October the Somali Premier has named the line-up of his new cabinet of 18 ministers which is the smallest to date. Lawmakers were given copies of the government programs as well as the make-up of the new cabinet at the start of the parliamentary session. Presenting the program , the prime minister told lawmakers that his government's top priority will be security and the reforming of the security forces to better deal with the Islamist insurgency the government is fighting. Islamist groups now control much of south and centre of the war- torn country including large swathes of the coastal capital of Mogadishu. The prime minister promised the government will retake the capital from Islamist insurgency "as soon as possible". The new government program also include policies on implementing good governance, national reconciliation and national plan to safeguard the basic and human rights of the Somali people. He also laid out three preconditions for any negotiations with the armed Islamist opposition groups. He said the opposition groups should recognize Somalia as a sovereign nation, the existence of the Transitional Federal Institutions is non-negotiable but that a power-sharing is possible and the sole means to solve the Somali problem is through negotiation. The Somali prime minister vowed to strengthen the government foreign relations and that the government will pursue peaceful foreign policy towards the international community. He said the new government will work to promote economic recovery and development for the country in cooperation with the international community. Lawmakers are expected to vote on the new government and its program sometime next week. |
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