Iran ready to help establish peace in Somalia

Mottaki made the remarks in a meeting with Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed on the sidelines of an African Union meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Monday.

The Iranian foreign minister also said Tehran is ready to send humanitarian assistance to the war-torn country.

He advised the Somali leader to enter into talks with opposition groups in order to bring peace to the country.

The opposition fighters have recently stepped up attacks against Somalia's UN-backed transitional government and African Union peacekeepers with the aim of toppling the embattled government.

The main armed opposition group in Somalia, Al-Shabab, is a military off-shoot of the Union of Islamic Courts.

They have been fighting Somali government troops and African Union peacekeepers in and around Mogadishu.

The Union of Islamic Courts came to power in southern Somalia in June 2006 after defeating Somali warlords. However, the UIC was forced out of power in December 2006 through an Ethiopian invasion aided by the United States.

Sheikh Ahmed also thanked Iran for its support of Somalia and said he would like to visit Iran in the near future.

/Press TV/