WASHINGTON, Jan 17, 2007 – The United States said Wednesday that it is disappointed by Somali parliament's vote to oust its speaker and urged Somalia's political process to be inclusive.

"While certainly respectful of the rights of the parliament to go forward with this no-confidence motion, I think we're disappointed to see this kind of action at this time," State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said at a briefing.

"We think it's important that the transitional federal institutions of government be acting to reach out not only to those that are already participating in the government, but to others more broadly," Casey said.

"We want to see the Somali political process develop in the most inclusive way possible, and certainly don't think that this action helps bring us in that direction," he said.

Casey made the comments after Somali lawmakers voted Wednesday to oust parliamentary speaker Sherif Hassan Sheikh Adan who has openly backed Islamists. The move is expected to spark divisions within the Ethiopian-backed transitional government.

Source: XINHUA NEWS AGENCY