Awad Ashra

For his part, northeast regional state of Puntland minister Awad Ashra also pledged to implement the accord.

"Puntland is not at war with any Somali group.It is an administration that has pacified its region and wanted to see a peaceful federal republic of Somalia," Ashra said, also by telephone from Eldoret.

"I would like to thank the organisers of the conference for their maturity and support for the peace process," he said on behalf of Puntland President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, who is also at the conference.

In Somaliland, which declared independence from the rest of Somalia in May 1991, a foreign ministry official said the territory would like to see peace restored in Somalia, but insisted it was interested only in being "a good neighbour."

Somaliland is not participating in the Eldoret conference, which is sponsored by the seven-nation regional Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), comprising Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Uganda and nominally Somalia.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by representatives from the United Nations, the United States, the European Union, the Arab League, Egypt and IGAD.

For his part, northeast regional state of Puntland minister Awad Ashra also pledged to implement the accord.

"Puntland is not at war with any Somali group.It is an administration that has pacified its region and wanted to see a peaceful federal republic of Somalia," Ashra said, also by telephone from Eldoret.

"I would like to thank the organisers of the conference for their maturity and support for the peace process," he said on behalf of Puntland President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, who is also at the conference.

In Somaliland, which declared independence from the rest of Somalia in May 1991, a foreign ministry official said the territory would like to see peace restored in Somalia, but insisted it was interested only in being "a good neighbour."

Somaliland is not participating in the Eldoret conference, which is sponsored by the seven-nation regional Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), comprising Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Uganda and nominally Somalia.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by representatives from the United Nations, the United States, the European Union, the Arab League, Egypt and IGAD.