US Defends Somalia Peacekeeping Plan

[Jabhad]

Yet another piece of USA propaganda to laugh about..

 

US Defends Somalia Peacekeeping Plan

By David Gollust

Washington

30 November 2006

 

 

 

The United States said Wednesday it is backing an East African peacekeeping force for Somalia to help stabilize the country, rather than fuel ongoing warfare. A U.S.-backed draft resolution in the U.N. Security Council that would clear the way for the force is expected to come up for action within the next few days. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

 

The Bush administration is defending its support for the East African force, amid charges its arrival would only worsen on-going Somali violence and perhaps lead to regional warfare.

 

A U.S.-sponsored draft Security Council resolution, backed by the other permanent council member countries including Russia and China, would ease the international arms embargo against Somalia in place since 1992 to allow deployment of a regional force that would shore up the country's beleaguered transitional government.

 

Based in the western Somali town of Baidoa, the Transitional Federal Institutions or T.F.I. has international support.

 

But it is under military siege by the country's powerful Islamic movement, the Council of Islamic Courts, which controls the capital Mogadishu and says it aims to seize the entire country and perhaps even ethnic-Somali areas of neighboring states.

 

The proposed African force, to be set up by the East African regional intergovernmental grouping IGAD, would seek to stabilize the situation by providing force training and protection for the interim government, though not undertaking offensive action against the Islamic Courts.

 

 

At a briefing for reporters, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer said the United States is supporting only a narrow change in the arms embargo to allow deployment of the IGAD troops, but not fuel a wider conflict.

 

She said flatly that the forces of the transitional government need to be trained and reinforced so that it can be what she termed a credible negotiating partner with the Islamic Courts, which she said currently sees no reason to sit down and negotiate a settlement. "We feel that this force is also important to achieve our broader Somalia objective, which includes most importantly creating a space for the dialogue to occur between the Transitional Federal government and the Union of Islamic courts. And in particular it's our view that as long as the Union of Islamic Courts continues to believe that it can have a military victory, there will not be an engagement and serious dialogue. So you have to have some parity between two sides of the dialogue," she said.

 

Frazer said the envisaged eight-thousand member force would be made up of troops from the seven-country IGAD grouping and not Somalia's neighbors, including Ethiopia which is reported to have sent in troops to support the transitional government, and rival Eritrea which is helping the Islamists.

 

She said that contrary to claims that the IGAD force would broaden the conflict into a regional war, its deployment would actually create conditions for Ethiopia and Eritrea to disengage, while deterring further aggression against the T.F.I.

 

At this point, only Uganda among IGAD members has said it is ready to commit troops to the force, whose deployment is vehemently opposed by the by the Islamic Courts.

 

The Islamic Courts movement routed a group of U.S.-backed Somali warlords early this year and seized Mogadishu in June, later capturing most of southern and central Somalia and imposing strict religious law.

 

In her talk with reporters, Assistant Secretary Frazer said al-Qaida terrorists were operating with what she termed great comfort in areas controlled by the Islamic Courts and providing training and assistance to a group of radicals loyal to the Somali movement.

 

She said the United States has been in contact with all elements in Somalia including the Islamic Courts, which has publicly disavowed terrorism, to try to prevent the country from becoming an al-Qaida safe-haven.

 

Frazer said of particular concern to U.S. officials are three al-Qaida militants wanted in the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam and a coastal hotel in Kenya in 2002.

[Abwaan]

UPDATED ON:

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2006

8:20 MECCA TIME, 5:20 GMT

 

 

The UN Security Council has approved a new group to monitor weapons trafficking to and through Somalia in violation of a 1992 arms embargo.

 

The resolution, passed on Wednesday, will establish a new monitoring group which will continue to investigate violations of arms embargo following the release of a controversial UN report last month.

 

The last monitoring group - a Belgian, an American, a Kenyan and a Colombian - issued a report accusing 10 countries of providing weapons, money and training to rival sides in Somalia.

 

Many of those named denied any involvement and complained about being on the list.

 

Experts and diplomats questioned some of the report's allegations.

 

Critics questioned the finding that 720 Somali mercenaries fought alongside Hezbollah in its July battle with Israel and that Iran shipped arms to Somalia's Council of Islamic Courts in return for access to uranium mines.

 

The UN also reiterated "its insistence that all member states, in particular those in the region, should refrain from any action in contravention of the arms embargo and should take all necessary steps to hold violators accountable".

 

 

US proposals

 

Meanwhile, the US consulted UN council members on another resolution that would lift the arms embargo for a regional force.

 

 

Richard Grenell, spokesperson for the US mission, said the resolution the United States is working on is in response to a recommendation from the group monitoring the arms embargo.

 

The US supports the proposal by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, a seven-nation East African group, to deploy an African force in Somalia, he said.

 

 

The force, totaling a battalion or two, would train and protect the transitional government, based in Baidoa, to establish a balance in Somalia that would convince the Islamists that a military victory is impossible, he said.

 

Conditions

 

Diplomats said the European Union has proposed amendments that would block any of Somalia's neighbors from participating in the force.

 

 

 

That would prohibit participation by troops from Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya - but not Uganda which has volunteered troops this far.

 

 

 

The Europeans also want the force to be authorised for a limited period of time, the diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the US draft has not been finalised.

 

 

"We're going to remain engaged to prevent any escalation of tensions in Somalia which could lead to a wider regional conflict, and the deployment of this regional force is a step to ensure this doesn't happen," Grenell said.