Somali government to be recognised by US

A US official has told reporters that the US will officially recognise the Somali government, for the first time in over 20 years.

Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson said that the news will be made official at a meeting between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud tomorrow.

"When the secretary meets with Hassan Sheikh tomorrow, she will exchange diplomatic notes with him and recognise the Somali government in Mogadishu for the first time in 20 years," he told media.

A senior US official is reported to have told Reuters that new aid measures may be on the way.

"The fact that we recognise a government there will allow us to do things through USAID [US Agency for International Development] that we have not been able to do before.

"The fact that we recognise them as a legitimate government will allow the World Bank and the [International Monetary Fund] IMF to do things that they would not have been able to do before. This is major and it is significant."

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