Somalia's prime minister has named most of the new cabinet tasked with reimposing order on the country after 13 years of chaos.
Negotiations are reported to be continuing, in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, with key Mogadishu-based warlords over their responsibilities.
The government is supposed to return to the Somali capital in a few weeks once security guarantees are obtained.
Mogadishu is divided between rival warlords and remains very dangerous.
Last month, Somalia's president asked the United Nations Security Council for peacekeepers to help restore peace in the country.
'Best people'
President Abdullahi Yusuf was elected president by a Kenya-based transitional parliament in October but is from northern Somalia and does not have a strong power-base in the capital.
However, his Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Ghedi, does have some influence there and it is hoped he can negotiate a successful return to the capital for the government.
Two of the key Mogadishu warlords, Hussein Aideed and Mohammed Qanyare Afrah, are reportedly unhappy with the jobs they have been offered and were not among the 27 ministers appointed.
Four posts, including the key one of interior, have not been filled.
The BBC Somali service's Hassan Barise says that most of the major factions and clans are represented in the new line-up.
He says that with 31 ministers, the new cabinet is much smaller than previous attempts to set up a government in Somalia, which had up to 70 ministers.
The BBC's Joseph Winter, who has just returned from Mogadishu, says that most Somalis are desperate to once more have a government, whoever is in charge.
But some doubt that the warlords who destroyed Mogadishu are the right people to rebuild it.
Before the new government was named, one western diplomat told our correspondent that the new government should be made up of sinecures to keep the warlords onside and technocrats, who could do the work.
Explaining the month-long delay between his own appointment and that of most of his cabinet, Mr Ali said:
"It took me a long time to select the best people for the best positions.
"The people I selected are those who can understand the magnitude of the Somali destruction so they will take all the necessary measures to rebuild Somalia efficiently,"
Since the 1991 fall of dictator Mohammed Siad Barre, Somalia has been a battleground for numerous clan-based factions.
Meanwhile, almost 30 people have been killed by fighting in central Somalia.
At least 70 people were injured during clashes in the town of Gelinsoor. It is not clear what caused the fighting between between two rival groups.