MOGADISHU, May 19 (Xinhua) --The Italian government supports the national reconciliation conference planned next June, Patricia Tenelli, deputy foreign minister of Italy, who led a nine-member Italian delegation to the Somali capital Mogadishu, said Saturday.

    Patricia held discussions with Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf, Prime Minister Ali Gedi and Ali Mahdi Mohamed, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the National Reconciliation Conference scheduled to be held in Mogadishu in mid June.

    "Italy fully supports the reconciliation process led by the Somali government," Patricia told reporters after the meetings. She also expressed support for the African Union (AU) peacekeepers in Somalia, saying that she expects other African countries who pledged to send troops to expedite their contingents' deployment in Somalia.

    The Italian minister announced the appointment of a new ambassador to Somalia.

    The visit comes only days after four Ugandan AU peacekeepers were killed when their convoy was hit by a roadside bomb blamed on al-Qaeda.

    Somalia has been without a national government since the overthrow of Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.