/ 9 January 2002

SOMALI PRESIDENT RULES OUT US STRIKE

THE president of Somalia’s transitional government on Tuesday ruled out any US strike on his country, which he said no longer harbours terrorist organisations, the Al-Zaman daily newspaper reports. “We have succeeded in opening a direct dialogue with the Americans and we do not think the United States will carry out any kind of strike against Somalia,” Abdulkassim Salat Hassan told the London-based newspaper said. “Somalia no longer harbours camps of (chief terror suspect Osama bin Laden’s) al-Qaeda network. Somalia is in the anti-terrorist camp,” Hassan added. Somalia’s Prime Minister Hassan Abshir Farah said Sunday that “bin Laden can’t come to Somalia and get safe haven.” – AFP