Somalia aid conference opens in Istanbul

Representatives from 54 countries gathered in Istanbul Thursday to find a path towards a better future for Somalia, ravaged by civil war and the lack of a stable government for the last two decades. "After a long period of instability and conflict, we now have ahead of us an opportunity for genuine peace and security," Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said at the opening of the Second Istanbul Conference on Somalia. The two-day conference -- which follows a London meeting in February -- kicked off with discussions among senior officials, experts and businessmen on four key issues: water, energy, roads and sustainability. On Friday, the conference will turns its attention to the political dimension of aid to Somalia, with the participation of UN chief Ban Ki-moon, Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as well as British Foreign Secretary William Hague.