U.S. urges lifting of U.N. arms embargo on Somalia - envoys Reuters – 19 minutes ago Reuters/Reuters - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses delegates during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos January 25, 2013. REUTERS/Pascal Lauener UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States is urging fellow members of the U.N. Security Council to agree to demands by the government in Mogadishu to lift the arms embargo on Somalia, which has been in place for the past 21 years, U.N. diplomats said on Tuesday. The U.S. push comes after U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said last week that the 15-nation council should consider lifting the arms embargo to help rebuild Somalia's security forces and consolidate military gains against al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants. The Security Council imposed the embargo in 1992 to cut the flow of arms to feuding warlords, who a year earlier ousted dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and plunged Somalia into civil war. "I think we'll come down in terms of having probably a political lift of the arms embargo but retaining some controls," said a senior Western diplomat on condition of anonymity. "What the Somali government partly wants is a political signal that they are now a sovereign government and we're supporting them, rather than a trusteeship," the diplomat said. "They say the bad guys are getting weapons and the good guys are not." The U.S. mission to the United Nations had no immediate comment. It was not clear what a "political lift" of the embargo would entail, though diplomats said it may involve easing arms import restrictions on Somalia while ensuring that a strict monitoring mechanism remains in place. Diplomats said Britain and France have been reluctant to support ending the arms embargo. The Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group, which monitors compliance with the sanctions regime, has also opposed the idea of lifting it, U.N. envoys said. Those who oppose getting rid of the arms embargo say Somalia's security sector still includes elements close to warlords and militants, an allegation the Somali government rejects. "There are no Somali warlords that threaten peace and stability in Somalia," the deputy U.N. ambassador for Somalia, Idd Beddel Mohamed, told Reuters. "They are normal citizens now, members of parliament. The embargo must be lifted." AMENDED REPORT? Somalia wants help strengthening its poorly equipped and ill-disciplined military that is more of a loosely affiliated umbrella group of rival militias than a cohesive fighting force loyal to a single president. There are 17,600 U.N.-mandated African Union peacekeepers helping battle the Islamist rebels in Somalia. The AU mission's mandate is up for renewal in March, which is when the changes under discussion, if approved, would take effect. "There's no guarantee there will be a lifting of the arms embargo but it's something the U.S. wants," an envoy said. Several diplomats noted that Ban's recommendation to end the embargo was so weakly worded it was barely a recommendation at all. The wording was: "the Security Council may wish to consider the repeated request by the (Somali) government for lifting the arms embargo." A diplomatic source said the recommendation did not appear in earlier drafts of Ban's report but was in the final version. It has happened before that secretary-general's reports on various issues have been amended before publication in response to complaints from U.N. member states. AU troops from Uganda, Burundi, Kenya and Ethiopia are battling al Shabaab militants on several fronts in Somalia and have forced them to abandon significant territory in southern and central areas of the Horn of Africa country. The militants, who merged with al Qaeda in February last year, launched their campaign against the government in early 2007, seeking to impose sharia, or strict Islamic law, on the entire country. The U.N. Security Council is also considering a call to permit the export of stocks of charcoal from Somalia. It banned the sale abroad of Somali charcoal last February in an attempt to cut off al Shabaab's funding. Diplomats said the charcoal export ban would likely remain in place. The Security Council's Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea, an independent panel that reports on compliance with U.N. sanctions, said charcoal exports from southern Somalia in 2011 generated over $25 million for al Shabaab.

lol@ people who think that the brits are the engine behind Somaliland , the UK aid is mostly through NGO not fully bilateral and that it self is minimum. Somaliland pays its own bills Somaliland is not Somalia where its fully dependent on the west for survival. Somaliland tax revenues port taxes and overall import and export tax and the taxation of SL corporations is where the hard currency is coming from and not from London or Washington. But the Brits helped train some of the police officers of Somaliland. The thing is Somaliland is build on the strength of Somalilanders , Also the brits never said that they want Somaliland and Somalia to be one county they never ever said that. The repeatedly said that the case of union or independence is up for the Somaliland and Somalia people to decide. Only if you tell me they changed their stance you have bring evidence?. Somaliland is here to stay for centuries to come even when the earth eats our flesh and we are long gone.

Both Somaliland and Somalia is this something new

We remind all U.S. citizens in Somalia or considering travel to any part of Somalia that the Department of State’s December 26, 2012 Travel Warning for Somalia advises U.S. citizens to avoid all travel to Somalia

Not really i have black friends.

^^ Do you have frenji boyfriend?

Where did i say its only a koonfurian problem please bring a quote where i said its only a koonfurian problem?

In a normal society you would think a homogeneous group as that of the Somalis would be Africa's successful story a massive territory enough resources to sustain themselves and their neighbors the largest coast line in Africa. You would say they would sing Kumbaya and be a regional power, but no , Somalis were like this before colonialism anarchists. The notion of Somali governance is an alien concept there is no proper hierarchy in the Somali governing system who leads who. And than you have the sense of animosities and distrust between the Somalis its really astonishing.What also needs to be said is i want to find out the exact date Somalis started calling themselves Somalis. Because we named the land after the ethnic group. The other day we were discussing what Somalinimo was and no one came with a clear definition of Somalinimo. So we called the land Somali we dont know exactly what Somalinimo is nor dont we know when we called our selves Somalis. If you ask me we are a bunch of confused nomads.

DoctorKenney;916034 wrote: So perhaps you're suggesting that Somalis can function better as a society if we were a part of a larger Confederated Ethiopia, similar to the Oromos? Or perhaps Somalia is cursed with poor leadership, and that's what's holding us back as a people Somalis lack nation identity they are collective tribes who speak the same language same culture same religion but those factors are not helping them to form a modern republic. Somalis need to transform as people mentally socially, i will give you an example Somali statehood symbol was maandeeq a female camel, it shows that Somalis can only agree on the way of the camel. But now they have a problem milking the camel every single community tribe is trying to milk maandeeq in his favor eventually they killed maandeeq. I dont think its bad leadership its the people.

^They dont fit his tribal pseudo identity so they had to leave i dont think reer bay and bakool will ever feel at home in Puntland and i dont think they will consider it their country.

Tribal identity is much more stronger than National identity i said it before Somalis were never meant to be a nation.

i don't think races should mix

So much for we love Somalia:D

Not going to happen, if Siilaanyo and his goverment agree to attend they will lose all credibility with in the SL public, unless the Brits come with alternative for Somaliland and Somalia. The conference doesn't even concern Somaliland because the agenda is 95% about Somalia. And Somaliland and Somalia will not hold their talks in London at the conference. We will shortly know.

^^ probably the turks

Oodweyne i dont think they will attend.

Ooh i see but that was well known right that Somalia President and UK PM were co chairing the conference.

Whats it about Che i cant view ?

And some more begging.

Ingiriiska Cilaaqaad aad u dheer ayaa Somaliland Ka Dhaxeeyay waanu ka saaraynaa mugdiga soo galay” February 5th, 2013 Hargeysa (Somaliland.Org)- Madaxweynaha Somaliland Md. Axmed Maxamed Maxamuud (Siilaanyo) ayaa maanta duhurkii u kicitimay dalka Ingiriiska oo uu socdaal shaqo ku tagay. Waxaanu ka dhoofay madaarka Hargeysa. Madaxweyne Axmed Siilaanyo waxa ku sii sagootiyay madaarka Xubno ka tirsan Golaha Wasiirrada, Xildhibaano ka tirsan Goleyaasha Wakiiladda iyo Guurtida iyo masuuliyiinta Hoggaanka xisbiga talladda haya ee KULMIYE. Madaxweynaha Somaliland Md. Axmed Maxamed Maxamuud (Siilaanyo) waxa uu sheegay inuu socdaal ku tagayo dalka Ingiriiska isla markaana uu sii mari doono wadanka Kenya. “Waxaan Aniga iyo Weftigaygu aan u ambo-baxaynaa dalka Ingiriiska, halkaasi oo aanu kula kulmi doono Wasiirka Arrimaha dibadda William Heague. DawladdaIngiriisku waa dawlad cilaaqaad aad u dheeri innaga dhaxeeyay iyo wax wada qabsi dhinacyo badan leh,”ayuu yidhi Madaxweynaha Somaliland. Madaxweynaha oo hadalkiisa sii watay waxa uu intaasi ku ladhay “Waa Tii mugdi meesha soo galay, Inshaalaahu Mugdigaasi meesha waanu ka saaraynaa. imikana waxaan u tagaynaa inaanu wada hadal la yeelano masuuliyiintaas aan sheegay qaranka Ingiriiska madaxdiisa ka mid ah. waxaanan rajaynaynaa inay si fiican noogu dhacdo.waxaanan dalka iyo dadkaba u rajaynayaa wanaag, bash-bash iyo Barwaaqo.” Madaxweynuhu waxa uu intaasi ku daray inuu kala hadli doono masuuliyiinta Ingiriiska baaqii ay dhawaan muwaadiniintooda ugu baaqeen inay ka soo baxaan Somaliland sababo la xidhiidha cabsi Nabad-gelyo darr Madaxweynuhu waxa intii aanu dhoofin madaarka salaan sharaf kaga qaatay cutubyo ka tirsan ciidanka qaranka. Madaxweyne Axmed Siilaanyo waxa weftigan ku wehelinaya Wasiirrada Arrimaha dibadda Dr. Maxamed Cabdilaahi Cumar, Wasiirka Qorshaynta Qaranka Dr. Sacad Cali Shire Iyo Marwadda koowaad ee Somaliland.

Not sure i have always viewed Puntlanders as people who wanted to remain part of Somalia ,as long as they rule their fiefdom separately that's why they call the loudest for clan federalism. I remember in 2003 Cabdilahi Yusuf told the elders of Puntland i am leaving Puntland i am going to Mogadishu to rule these were his exact words. So i have hard time believing Puntlanders will give that up and call for separation.By the way there is no such thing as Jubbaland it doesn't exist ,there is raskambooni brigade and the Kenyans in the lower jubba.

But jubba land and Puntland are not interested of leaving Somalia so how will you solve that? Do you believe Puntlant and Jubbaland should remain with Somalia because thats what they want.

Metta see now you are doing the bidding for the pirates claiming parts of eastern sool and eastern sanaag, The pirates claim those territories to and you are doing the exact same thing right now. But to make it easy for you I will be happy with a UN supervised referendum on independence , i will accept the result will you?

^^ Lander its called divide to have unity most koonfurians use it against SL