ADDIS ABABA, Dec 24 (Reuters) Ethiopia was forced into war against Somalia's Islamists to protect the country's sovereignty and will leave Somalia as soon as the mission is over, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said today.

''Ethiopian defence forces were forced to enter into war to the protect the sovereignty of the nation and to blunt repeated attacks by Islamic courts terrorists and anti-Ethiopian elements they are supporting,'' Meles said in a televised address.

''Our defence forces will leave (Somalia) as soon as they end their mission.'' Meles said for the first time Ethiopia supported negotiations between the transitional federal government and Islamic courts to set up a joint administration.

He said Ethiopia had sought to end the Somali crisis through peaceful dialogue with Islamic Courts officials in Djibouti and, as late as Wednesday, in Dubai.

But the country was forced to respond to the Islamists' ''extensive attacks'' around the interim government's base Baidoa and in the semi-autonomous Puntland region, Meles said.

He admitted for the first time that Ethiopian soldiers were fighting alongside pro-government forces in Somalia.

''The transitional federal government forces, Puntland forces and other Somali armed forces are fighting alongside Ethiopian troops,'' Meles said.

Ethiopia had previously denied deploying any soldiers across the border, saying it had only a few hundred military trainers in Baidoa.

REUTERS MQA RN0056