Kampala — PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has asked Somalia leaders to form a national government and army.

President Museveni was launching the Somali leaders' retreat at the Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya, on Friday.

He urged them to build an economic recovery programme for Somalia.

Museveni, also the chairman of the Inter Governmental Authority on Development, said only dialogue would restore peace in Somalia.

During the 10-day retreat, the 20 Somali leaders are expected to chart the way forward to establish peace and stability in their country.

The launching of the retreat came after Museveni held separate meetings with four Somali groups to convince them to dialogue.

Museveni described what is happening in Somalia as 'slow genocide' because Somali children have not been immunised against killer diseases for over 10 years.

He said he was ready to return to Kenya or travel to Somalia "to resolve this terrible shame on the African scene."

He promised to work and galvanise opinion in the IGAD region and the international community to have one common position on the Somali issue.

Museveni also drew together leaders of the Somali groups to shake hands with President Qassim Salat of the Transitional National Government of Somalia as a starting point of their dialogue.