Brussels, 18/09/2006 (Agence Europe) - EU foreign ministers, meeting in Brussels on 15 September, welcomed the progress in the inter-Somali dialogue between the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFI) and the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC)as a “positive step forward towards peace and reconciliation”. The ministers encouraged the TFI and the UIC to sustain the momentum of the talks, and restated the EU's commitment to assisting and engaging in the process. They expressed, however, their deep concern about the continuing tensions between the two parties and reiterated the support of the EU Council for the TFI, which it considers to be the only legitimate political representation in Somalia as defined in the Transitional Federal Charter. The Council urged all Somali parties to exercise maximum restraint and to take immediate steps to reduce tension, and called on all the States in the region to support the Somali transition and to avoid interfering in the situation.