NAIROBI, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- Kenya said on Tuesday it will not retaliate to Somalia's move to expel its diplomats from Mogadishu but will instead seek diplomatic solutions to the current spat with Mogadishu.

Cyrus Oguna, the Kenya government spokesman said Kenya will set up a mediation team to look into the issues raised by Somalia in order to strike a diplomatic solution between the two neighboring countries.

His remarks came after Somalia announced late Monday it has cut ties with Kenya over constant violation of Mogadishu's sovereignty and territorial integrity amid a visit by President of the self-declared region of Somaliland Musa Bihi Abdi to Nairobi. Somaliland seceded from Somalia in May 1991. However, the Somali government insists that Somaliland is part of its territory.

"The Somali government, based on its national sovereignty guaranteed by international law and order, and fulfilling its constitutional duty to safeguard the nationhood, unity and stability of the country, has decided to sever diplomatic relations with the Kenyan government," Somali Information Minister Osman Dubbe said on Monday evening.

The minister said the move was taken in response to the ongoing political aggression by the Kenyan government against Somalia's independence.

But Oguna said Kenya which has enjoyed close ties over the years with Somalia will move to protect such relations and vowed Nairobi will not follow the same path taken by its neighbor.

Oguna said talks are already taking place to ensure that the relationship normalizes for normal social-economic activities to be able to continue as they were before.

There is a committee that has been put in place to be able to look at those issues that are coming in between the two countries that have a lot of history, he said.

Oguna said there is a lot of commonality between the two countries, noting that anything that undermines that relationship must be resolved as quickly as possible.

"We are doing a lot of business as neighbors. We can't do without Somalia and Somalia can't do without Kenya," said Oguna.

The latest diplomatic spat between Somalia and Kenya began on Nov. 29 when Mogadishu recalled its ambassador to Kenya and also ordered the Kenyan envoy to leave Mogadishu, due to alleged undue interference from Kenya in the internal affairs of Somalia. Enditem

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