MOGADISHU (SD) – The International Community has urged Somali federal and regional leaders to hold dialogue paving the way for the parliamentary and presidential elections.

In a statement, the partners warned Somalis against time in settling the long-running election stalemate that has seen elections delayed three times.

“We urge the Federal Government and Federal Member State leaders, in a constructive spirit, to resolve the small number of issues outstanding from the Dhusamareb talks and agree to a short election timeline necessary to implement the 17 September Agreement,” a joint statement released Saturday read in part.

The partners urged the FGS and FMS leaders attending the summit to engage in frequent communication and consultation with other Somali stakeholders to inform the deliberations.

“Now is the time to avoid unilateral actions and proceed quickly to agree on the implementation of the 17 September electoral process to choose Somalia’s leaders,” they said.

This week, following a meeting in New York, UN Security Council members had urged government to urgently resume talks with regional states.

Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo whose four-year term ended early this month has called for dialogue which is slated for mid this month.