Neighbours agree on Somalia force

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Somalia's transitional government has agreed with neighbours Ethiopia and Kenya on plans for an international peace force for Somalia.

But in the capital, Mogadishu, which is controlled by Islamic courts, thousands of people demonstrated against any foreign intervention in Somalia.

Earlier, the government and the Islamists had agreed in principle to form a national army.

The two sides are engaged in peace talks in Khartoum.

<a href="/1/hi/world/africa/4760775.stm" class="">Q&A: Islamist advance</a>

The decision to endorse a peace force was taken at a meeting in Nairobi of the East Africa regional grouping, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (Igad).

However, only three heads of state of the seven-member grouping were present.

Final approval for any force must be given by the African Union Peace and Security Council.

Igad urged the African Union (AU) to approve the proposed peacekeeping mission, release funds and help raise more money to support the deployment of troops, Reuters news agency reports.

The regional grouping also called on the United Nations Security Council to meet "urgently" to consider lifting its arms embargo on Somalia.

Agreement

The Somali government and the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) agreed on Monday that they could form a united army, provided a political agreement can be reached at further talks on 30 October.

The rivals also agreed to avoid seeking aid from foreign powers and affirmed an earlier truce, threatened by the Islamists' recent territorial gains.

Somalia has had no effective central government since 1991.

The interim government has the support of the UN but it controls only a small area of the country around its base in Baidoa, about 250km from the capital.

The UIC took control of Mogadishu in June as well as several central and southern parts of the country.

The Islamists have accused the government of bolstering its defences with troops from Ethiopia, while they in turn have been accused of using military backing from Eritrea.