Somali conference postponed again

Ethiopia says it will pull its troops out once peace takes hold

Twice-delayed Somali reconciliation talks set for 14 June have again been postponed, the organisers say

The chairman of the organising committee, Ali Mahdi Mohamed, says the talks were postponed "due to unforeseen circumstances".

The conference is meant to initiate dialogue between rival clans and factions in the war-torn country.

The decision comes a day after Islamists and the prominent Hawiye clan said they would not attend the talks.

Speaking to the press, Mr Mahdi said the committee had received requests from some clans to postpone the talks to allow more time to choose delegates.

The conference, originally scheduled for April, will now be held on 15 July.

Hawiye elders agreed to a ceasefire in April after the worst violence the capital had seen in 16 years.

A leader of the ousted Islamists said the conference could not take place until Ethiopian troops withdraw from the country.

Meanwhile, a BBC correspondent says one person was killed in Mogadishu when Ethiopian troops opened fire on civilians after a grenade attack on one of their military convoys.

The Somali Dayniile website says the soldiers arrested people who were in the area where the explosion occurred and took them to an undisclosed location.

Ethiopian troops have been in Somalia since December, when they helped government troops oust the Union of Islamic Courts.