NAIROBI, April 1, 2008 (AFP) - The United Nations envoy to Somalia on Tuesday said he was encouraged by his latest consultations with exiled opposition leaders and called for a fresh surge in peace efforts.

Ahmedou Ould Abdallah held talks in Nairobi over the past few days with several leaders from the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS), a grouping based in Asmara and dominated by Islamists.

Ould Abdallah's office said in a statement the opposition leaders 'had shown a determination to work together and to look to the future.'

'These are very encouraging new developments and a positive sign of a commitment by the Somalis to rebuild their country and start again,' the UN envoy was quoted as saying.

The Somali transitional government's latest prime minister, Nur Hasan Hussein, has adopted a more inclusive approach to the national reconciliation process than his predecessor Ali Mohamed Gedi.

The ARS includes most of the political leadership of the Islamic Courts Union, which briefly controlled large parts of Somalia before being ousted by Ethiopian troops last year.

Ethiopian-backed Somali government troops are still battling the movement's military wing and allied clans, in a year-old guerrilla war which has left thousands dead and displaced hundreds of thousands.

The impoverished Horn of Africa country has seen more than 14 peace initiatives fail since the 1991 ouster of former president Mohamed Siad Barre.