France firmly condemns attack on Somalia's president

France on Wednesday condemned an earlier attack on the Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohammed in what appears as a clear attempt by rebels to assassinate the Somali leader. The French Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it "condemned in the firmest way" the attack which targeted the president's convoy as it was travelling near the town of Merca. Rebels linked with the Islamist radical group "Al-Shebab" are being blamed on the attack. France has been a long-time backer of the authorities in Somalia and nurtured the fledgling interim government for several years and also helped train Somali security forces in both bilateral and European Union military programmes. Noting the international conference on Somalia that will be held on September 16 in Brussels, the Foreign Ministry here "reaffirmed its full support" to the Somali leader and the institutions in that country.