Garowe Online (Garowe)
7 October 2008
A six-member United Nations delegation led by Christian Beslev-Olesen landed at a small airstrip in the town of Jowhar on Monday, Radio Garowe reported.
The delegation met privately with Islamic Courts rulers in Jowhar, the capital of Middle Shabelle region which is located 90km north of Mogadishu.
The media was excluded from the meeting, but the Islamists' top leader in Jowhar, Sheikh Dahir Addow Alasow, told reporters afterwards that the meeting was intended to inform UN officials about the security situation in Middle Shabelle region.
In brief comments, Mr. Beslev-Olesen said Islamist officials contacted UN agencies about improving humanitarian aid delivery in the region.
There are unconfirmed reports that the UN will resume aid operations in Middle Shabelle. It was the first time UN officers met directly with Islamist rulers since the Ethiopian intervention of December 2006.
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