For six years, Mr Mathern has attempted to correct the constitution, although he says he was always defeated by colleagues who dismissed it as a waste of time.

BBC: Who, what, why: Is North Dakota really a US state?

Brigadier Michael Ondoga, of AMISOM, told CNN recently that although Al-Shabaab was "largely defeated" in Mogadishu, there were still issues with its members "melting into the population" and taking advantage of the city's large size to hide.

CNN: Holidays in Somalia? Mogadishu hopes to be tourist hotspot

Although a similar pan-European proposal was defeated earlier this month, few believe that the issue is dead, particularly given the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry's claim last Thursday that 2008 will be the year of greater ISP responsibility.

BBC: A padlock and key

Representatives of the five presidential candidates defeated in the first round of voting were at the meeting although they had not been invited, Portuguese TV channel RTP Africa reports.

BBC: Guinea-Bissau junta agrees pact with some parties