Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and visiting Somali President Abdullahi Yousuf on Thursday discussed the next step to bring law and order to Somalia.

During their talks, the two leaders said maximum efforts should be exerted to minimize civilian casualties and property damages during the course of the operation in Somalia, according to Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin who attended the talks.

Seyoum also said the discussion between the two leaders was "constructive and important,"

The two leaders discussed in particular the Somali national reconciliation conference which was postponed until July.

Yousuf, who was here for a working visit, expressed his firm belief that the conference would be a meaningful reconciliation, because the conference would be free of government pressure and would be headed by independent commission to be presided over by former Somali President Ali Mahdi Mohammed, said Seyoum.

Ethiopia helped Somali transitional government forces oust the Supreme Council of Islamic Courts from the Somali capital of Mogadishu last December but violence has continued.

Ethiopia says it has started to withdraw some of its troops from Somalia and will gradually hand over responsibilities to the African Union force. So far only 1,200 Ugandans have arrived.

Source: Xinhua