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[30 October 2006] - Talks in Sudan between Somalia's interim government and Islamists have been delayed. An Islamist delegation has flown to Khartoum but they say they will not take part in the talks unless Ethiopian troops leave Somalia. Ethiopia denies having a fighting force in Somalia, but says it has hundreds of military trainers with the government. Some fear a regional conflict breaking out in Somalia, amid reports that Eritrea backs the Islamists. The AP news agency says it has seen a confidential UN report, in which diplomats say 2,000 fully armed troops from Ethiopia's rival, Eritrea, are helping the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC). Eritrea has previously been accused of arming the Islamists but denies the claims. The UN report also says there are between 6-8,000 Ethiopian troops, according to AP. On Sunday, the authorities in Yemen, just across the Red Sea from Somalia, said they had arrested several foreigners, including three Australians and one Dane, on charges of trying to smuggle weapons to Somalia. The UN has imposed an arms ban on Somalia but weapons are easily available in a market in Mogadishu. 'Internal disputes' It is not clear whether the government delegation has arrived in Khartoum. An unnamed Arab League official told the AFP news agency that the talks had been "delayed because of internal disputes among the transitional federal government". The official said the talks would now start in the afternoon. Before boarding a plane for Khartoum, UIC foreign relations chief Ibrahim Hussein Adow said: "Unless they [Ethiopians] leave Somali territory there is no point in us attending the meeting." These are the third round of talks the Arab League has organised in Khartoum. The two sides have previously agreed a ceasefire but the UIC has continued to gain ground, while pro-government forces have twice seized a key town before withdrawing. The UIC has rapidly taken control of most of southern Somalia since seizing the capital, Mogadishu, in June. The government only controls the territory around Baidoa. Somalia has been in the grip of warlords and militias for years and has not had a functioning national government since 1991.