Egypt calls for urgent meeting on Somalia crisis

Egypt on Sunday called for holding an urgent meeting at the Arab League at the level of permeant delegates to discuss the current crisis between Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmud and his Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed.
"The initiative by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stresses the importance of the Arab role and Somalia Committee that contribute to mediation efforts aimed at solving the crisis," Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The negative consequences of the crisis may hinder the process of building the Somali state, achieving national reconciliation and Somalia Vision 2016 which enjoys the consensus of the international community, as well as completing constitutional instructions, the statement added.
Somalia Committee includes Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Tunisia, Algeria, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Oman, Libya, Yemen and Arab League General Secretariat.
Egypt is highly interested in Somalia's situations as the two countries have historical relations and Somalia has strategic importance in terms of supporting stability and security in the Horn Africa and the southern Red Sea.
Minister Shoukry is scheduled to participate in a ministerial forum on Somalia on November 19-20 due in Copenhagen to support the international efforts to carry out Somalia Vision 2016 relating to completion of building of state's institutions.