Somalis approve reconciliation pact

Saudi King Abdullah oversaw the signing of a reconciliation agreement negotiated by several Somalian factions in an attempt to stabilize their country and battle the Islamic opposition.

Cheers filled the hall in the Saudi city of Jidda, where members of a high-level Somalian delegation congregated after the pact was signed. The group included the premier, parliamentary speaker and president of Somalia’s U.N.-backed transitional government.

Much of Somalia, especially the capital, Mogadishu, has been racked by violence pitting the government and its Ethiopian allies against Islamic insurgents.