At the end of a conference on Somalia organized by the UN, European Union (EU) special envoy Rino Serri warned here yesterday against anti-terror military action in Somalia, arguing that a political process of reconstruction leading to the creation of a stable government was the first logical step to fighting terrorism there. A stable government was the key. Serri, who is the EU's special envoy for the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea, said: "Somalia isn't Afghanistan and has no Taleban regime to topple." He added: "Air strikes would be pointless - there is absolutely nothing there to destroy."

Serri said that the US has long linked Somalia to the al-Qaeda terror network and Osama bin Laden, who is believed to have masterminded the September 11 terror attacks on the US. It fears that bin Laden could seek refuge in Somalia if he manages to flee Afghanistan. The US suspects that al-Qaeda members played a part in the deaths of 18 US soldiers during a failed humanitarian mission to Somalia in the early 1990s.

According to an Italian news agency's report, Somalia insisted again yesterday that it has no terrorist bases and renewed an invitation to the U.S. and other states to send a fact-finding mission to check this.