EU calls for Somali unity

Mr Hassan hopes Somalia's warlords will accept him

The European Union has called on Somalia's divided clan leaders to support the country's transitional parliament and its newly elected president Abdulkasim Salad Hassan.

In a statement, the EU said it welcomed the new transitional national assembly, and praised neighbouring Djibouti's role in brokering peace talks that led to its formation.

Mr Hassan, 58, was elected on Friday after three rounds of voting in the 245 member assembly, which is meeting in neighbouring Djibouti.

But many of Somalia's rival clan leaders have refused to accept the new parliament, seeing it as a threat to their continued domination of the country.

Uphill struggle

Mr Hassan is a veteran of the former administration of President Siad Barre, which collapsed in 1991, leaving Somalia without central government, and ridden with inter-clan violence, for nearly a decade.

Most ordinary Somalis want to see authority restored

Correspondents say Mr Hassan needs all the support he can get as he faces an uphill struggle to persuade the warlords to accept the new transitional parliament.

Two of Mr Hassan's most difficult tasks will be moving the assembly from Djibouti to the Somali capital Mogadishu, and organising further elections.

Although some observers believe the warlords' influence is on the wane, they still command large numbers of heavily armed militia who may be hard to disarm.

Two clan-controlled districts in the north and east of the country, Somaliland and Puntland, have also declared themselves independent of Mogadishu.

Speaking following his victory, Mr Hassan urged all Somalis "to pray for the success of our collective mission."

Peace process

Mr Hassan is due to be sworn in on Sunday, and regional leaders including Kenya's President Daniel arap Moi and Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir are expected to attend.

Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi will attend the swearing in ceremony

The transitional assembly's meeting and election of Mr Hassan is the culmination of months of negotiation between different clan leaders and traditional elders, much of which took place in neighbouring Djibouti.

The moves have won widespread international support, largely because talks were not allowed to be dominated by rival warlords.

There have been 12 previous attempts to restore central government to the east African country, all of which ended in failure.

However, some observers believe Mr Hassan has more of a chance of success than his predecessors, as he is a member of the Hawiye clan, which dominates Mogadishu.