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Gen. Franks Confers With Ethiopians By Abebe Andualem Associated Press Writer Saturday, March 16, 2002; 11:24 AM ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia �� Gen. Tommy Franks, head of the U.S. military's Central Command and commander of the war in Afghanistan, discussed regional security and the war on terrorism with top Ethiopian leaders Saturday, a senior Ethiopian official said. The visit by Franks, whose sphere of responsibility includes Ethiopia and other Horn of Africa nations, came amid concerns among U.S. and Ethiopian officials that neighboring Somalia could become a center for terrorist activities. His talks with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and the military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Samora Yenus, focused on regional security and the fight against global terrorism, the Ethiopian official said on condition of anonymity. Franks has not spoken to reporters during an African tour that has also included stops in Eritrea and Kenya. The Central Command, based in Tampa, Fla., is responsible for U.S. military operations in 25 countries in the Persian Gulf, Asia and the Horn of Africa. Since the Sept. 11 terror attacks, U.S. officials have named Somalia, which has been without an authoritative central government since January 1991, as a possible haven for members of the al-Qaida network. Both Ethiopia and Kenya have large ethnic Somali communities and long, porous borders with Somalia, which is controlled largely by clan-based factions rather than the 2-year-old transitional government. The Ethiopian official did not give details of the talks, but Meles has made no secret of his concern about al-Itihaad al-Islami, a Somali Islamic fundamentalist group that the United States claims has ties to al-Qaida. This week, Meles told the Somali language service of the British Broadcasting Corp. there were al-Itihaad members in the 245-member legislature of the transitional government chosen at a peace conference in 2000. He also claimed some units of the national army the government is trying to set up come from militias created by al-Itihaad. The militias served as police for Islamic courts set up in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, during the chaos of the past decade. Ethiopian troops conducted operations against al-Itihaad forces in Somalia in 1996 and 1997, and it is generally agreed their military capabilities were destroyed. Meles' assertions came amid reports that Ethiopian troops have been training militia near the south central Somali town of Baidoa, a stronghold of the Somali Restoration and Reconciliation Council, an Ethiopian-backed group of warlords opposed to the transitional government. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Sports - live college hoops coverage http://sports.yahoo.com/ --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
