SOMALIA: Business community demands role in peace process
NAIROBI, 23 APRIL 2003(IRIN)- The Somali business community has demanded a role in the ongoing peace talks in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

The call came during a two-day workshop for the Somali Business Council (SBC), held last week in Dubai, and jointly organised with the Center for Research and Dialogue (CRD), an affiliate of the War-Torn Societies Project International, according to press statement.

Sharif Ahmad Shino, the SBC chairman, told IRIN that the group comprised members from all Somali clans, and had come together "to see how best we can contribute to the reconciliation process".

"We have members from all clans, who can bring pressure and influence political leaders," he stated.

Jibril Ahmad Abdulle of CRD told IRIN that any future government in Somalia was unlikely to succeed in establishing itself without the support of the business community. "Without their support it is next to impossible to get a government going," he said. "So it is logical to have them involved." MORE