Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys 'accepts' peace talks, say elders

A leading opposition figure in Somalia has accepted to join peace talks after speaking with a group of traditional elders in the capital Mogadishu.

Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, chairman of Hizbul Islam rebel group, met privately with a group of elders and reportedly accepted to join a peace process involving the U.N.-backed interim government, led by his Islamist rival, President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed.

"No one has told us to do this but we have initiated this process and we want to end the wars in Mogadishu through dialogue, " said Malaaq Ali Malaaq Showri.

Further, the Malaaq said the traditional elders will speak with President Sheikh Sharif regarding a new round of peace talks aimed at ending the bloody insurgency in Mogadishu and other parts of south-central Somalia.

"We tell the world that Sheikh Aweys is not a man of war and he loves to participate in the peace process and help Somalia become a stable country, " Malaaq Showri said, adding that the elders with also speak with the African Union peacekeeping mission and Al Shabaab hardliners to promote peace.

Separately, Sheikh Aweys confirmed to reporters in Mogadishu that the elders proposed a new peace initiative, adding: "We took the correct step which is to accept and to participate in the peace process. "

It is the first time that Sheikh Aweys has accepted joining the peace process in Somalia. The U.S. government has placed Sheikh Aweys on the list of international terror suspects.

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