"We are here to discuss the future of our country after the end of the transitional period," President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said in his opening remarks to the conference, being held under tight security in Mogadishu.
The main focus will be on winding up the seven-year-old transitional administration, which has failed to deliver on its main objectives of reconciling the country, writing a new constitution and holding elections.
Sharif said the UN-sponsored conference, drawing leaders from across the lawless country including breakaway Puntland and other semi-autonomous regions, was "paving the way" to the post transition period.
"It is an historic day and I hope that our discussions will bring credible ideas that bring Somalia`s troubles to an end," Sharif said.
However, neither Somaliland, which broke away in 1991, nor the Shebab insurgents which have sworn to overthrow the government, are represented at the talks.
African Union peacekeepers deployed around the parliament talks venue in a city only recently vacated by Al-Qaeda-linked insurgents seeking to overthrow the fragile UN-backed Transitional Federal Government (TFG).
Government forces backed by 9,000 peacekeeping troops of the African Union mission AMISOM declared an important victory over Shebab insurgents who pulled out of Mogadishu on August 6, but the Islamists, who claimed the withdrawal was tactical, still control much of central and southern Somalia.
The security situation remains precarious in the capital, where a Malaysian camaraman was killed on Friday as he filmed a humanitarian mission.
Somalia has been in a state of almost constant civil war since the overthrow of president Mohamed Siad Barre 20 years ago, despite several internationally-backed attempts to install a central authoritity. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
