Mogadishu, June 27, 2009, 7:04 PM-ET, (SOMINA) - The president of the state of Djibouti Osmail Omar Gele accused radical elements in the war-ravaged Somalia of trying to have the country as a haven for planning attacks on neighbor countries.

The president was speaking on the eve of the tiny state’s national day of independence on June 27, a day the people of Djibouti celebrate annually, in honor of the end of the colonial era.

“Those elements are all criminals who have been chased from their countries and they only need to have Somalia as a base for attacking other African countries and the Muslim world in general”, president Gele said, referring to the foreign fighters in Somalia.

The government of Djibouti hosted a reunion meeting for Somalia late last year, a move that enlarged the country’s transitional parliament, and finally led the moderate Islamist members join the UN backed shaky government. Mr Gele said the reconciliation efforts his government hosted had been successful, but individuals serving for the interest of other countries boycotted.

“If those troublesome people took power, this country will suffer a lot because the international community will decide to invade Somalia in order to defeat them”, the president said.

Mr. Gele meanwhile asked the international community to protect Somalia and help it confront what he called the “terrorist elements” who’s believe is that the country is for the whole Muslim societies in the world.

“This is an obvious peril which will not destroy only Somalia, but the rest of the world as well, so that we need to sort it out”, he added

MB-MF-MA