Key Islamist Leader Rubbishes Somali Peace Deal

An influential Somali Islamist leader has rejected the UN-brokered peace deal signed Monday between the country’s transitional government and moderate Islamist leaders. Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, who is among key leaders who boycotted the talks, termed the deal as “rubbish and inconsequential”. Aweys vowed to carry on the insurgency until the Islamists recapture Somalia and institute Sharia law. The peace deal, inked by Somali Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein and Islamist Opposition leaders in Djibouti, calls for a ceasefire and the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers. [PE]