Hamse Posted July 8, 2009 First Shariif asks Aden Madoowe to openly appeal for Ethoipian troops on national television. Ethiopia rejects the appeal at everyone's surprise. Then the US under pressure from Arab countries tells the Ethiopians who are currently in Bakool, Hiiraan, Galgaduud to not rush into going to Mogadishu. Shariif then decides to go to Addis himself to talk to Meles about what is going on. Today he gets assurance that he will be helped if he is in danger. -------------------- ------------------ 'Ethiopia ready to support Somalia govt.' Somalia's President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed says Ethiopia is ready to exhaust full resources to wipe out the Somali-based militancy. On Wednesday, Sharif said Addis Ababa had voiced readiness to root out al-Shabaab militants who threatened to overthrow his Transitional Federal Government (TFG), a Press TV correspondent reported. Speaking with the Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin following a meeting in the Ethiopian capital, the president said Addis Ababa had promised a solid foreign policy approach towards Mogadishu. The comments came months after Ethiopia wound down an unsuccessful anti-insurgency campaign in Somalia. Al-Shabaab fighters, who currently hold sway in vast expanses of central Somalia as well as parts of its capital, have in the past launched bitter offensives against the Ethiopian forces. During the invasion, the Ethiopia troops reportedly took prisoner some fighters enlisted with the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), a key faction of the Somali opposition and the former leaders of al-Shabaab. The UIC has recently joined forces with the TFG, denouncing the gunmen for their violence. Sharif will reportedly push for the release of the prisoners in an upcoming meeting with Ethiopian officials. HN/SC/MMN http://www.presstv.i r/detail.aspx?id=100 139§ionid=351020 501 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hamse Posted July 8, 2009 Ethiopia not ruling out troops return to Somalia By Tsegaye Tadesse and Barry Malone ADDIS ABABA, (Reuters) - Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has not ruled out sending troops to Somalia if the situation there worsens, but said there are no plans to intervene for now. Ethiopian troops invaded Somalia in 2006 to oust an Islamist movement from the capital in which new President Sheik Sharif Ahmed played a role. That sparked an Islamist insurgency which is still raging despite the withdrawal of the soldiers in January this year. "We do not want to find ourselves in a situation where a so-called Ethiopian horse would be trying to take the chestnut out of the fire on behalf of everybody else," Meles told a news conference late on Wednesday. "And this horse being whipped by every ***** and his grandmother." Ahmed, a moderate Islamist, fled into exile after the Ethiopian intervention but joined a peace process last year and was elected in January. His government is now battling hardline insurgents who were once allies in the Islamist movement. Addis Ababa has said it supports the new government, but is wary of the hardline Islamists, who are seen as a proxy for al Qaeda, because they control large areas of Somalia and have threatened to destabilise neighbouring Ethiopia and Kenya. With reports of foreign jihadists streaming into Somalia, Western security services are worried al Qaeda may get a grip on the failed Horn of Africa state that has been without central government for 18 years. WAIT AND SEE "We want to wait and see how the international community as a whole responds and then see if there is any need to revisit our position on the matter," Meles said. "We believe the deployment of Ethiopian troops would be unwarranted because we are not convinced there is a clear and present danger to Ethiopia," he said. Violence from the Islamist-led insurgency worsened this month, with the killing of three officials. The government, which controls little but a few parts of the capital, has declared a state of emergency and appealed to neighbouring countries for military assistance. The Ethiopian leader played down claims from the speaker of Somalia's parliament that the country's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) risked being overthrown without foreign help. "Our reading of the situation in Somalia is slightly different from the one of the speaker of the parliament that if there is no foreign military intervention ... the transitional government will collapse," Meles said. "The TFG is facing a very difficult situation with al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam militias supported by hundreds of jihadists, but we don't believe they will be toppled." (Editing by David Clarke) http://www.reuters.c om/article/latestCri sis/idUSLP935 -------------------- -------------- Somali government won't be toppled: Ethiopia ADDIS ABABA (AFP) — Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on Wednesday played down the threat posed by insurgents to Somalia's government and said he believed President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed would not be toppled. "Our reading of the situation in Somalia and in Mogadishu, is slightly different from the one of the speaker of the parliament that if there is no foreign military intervention within 24 hours, the TFG (transitional federal government) will collapse," Meles told reporters. "Our reading is that the TFG is facing a very difficult situation with Shebab and Hezb al-Islam militias supported by hundreds of jihadists that pose difficult challenges. But we don't believe they risk to be toppled," he added. Somalia's speaker last week made an urgent appeal for a foreign military intervention to prop up the internationally backed government, which has been facing a fierce insurgent military offensive since May 7. In 2006, Ethiopia invaded Somalia to remove an Islamist rebellion that had taken control of large swathes of the country. When it pulled out earlier this year, having failed to stabilise the country and significantly strengthen the transitional government, Ethiopia warned it could return at any time should hardliners threaten to take control. But Ethiopian Communications Minister Bereket Simon reacted to the Somali speaker's call by insisting that his country would not make its move without international backing. On Wednesday, Meles insisted Sharif's administration could be saved if the African Union's peacekeeping mission AMISOM "could be beefed up in terms of troops and mandate and TFG troops reinforced." "We support the TFG... but we have no plan to deploy our troops in Somalia for a number of reasons.... We believe the situation could be stabilised without a deployment of Ethiopian troops," he said. Around 300 people, including many civilians, are confirmed to have been killed and more than 150,000 displaced by the six-week-old fighting in the capital Mogadishu and in central regions. Copyright © 2009 AFP. http://www.google.co m/hostednews/afp/art icle/ALeqM5iL0U8pUXn 9RHx2r8vJDWj74DO_kA Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hamse Posted July 8, 2009 Sheik Sherif says "Ethiopia remains practical partner of TFG of Somalia" ENA - Ethiopian Foreign Affairs Minister, Seyoum Mesfin received and held fruitful discussions on Tuesday with President of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia, Sheik Sherif Ahmed on various issues of mutual interest. After the discussions, Sheik Ahmed told journalists that Ethiopia remains committed toward supporting Somalia, which, he said, is exemplary to other countries. He said Ethiopia indeed remains practical partner to the TFG in ensuring sustainable peace and stability in Somalia. The president said he held constructive discussions with Seyoum on various issues, especially the roles that Ethiopia and the international community shall play toward resolving the crisis back home. He said he shared similar views with Seyoum as to how the AU Peacekeeping Mission (AMISOM) in Somalia shall further be strengthened to ensure lasting peace and stability across Somalia. Seyoum on his part said Ethiopia will continue supporting the TFG of Somalia. The minister said he shared ideas with the president as to how the UN Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council shall synchronize efforts in reversing the existing situation in that country in general, and how Ethiopia shall assist in building the capacity of the TFG in the future. Seyoum said the two parties decided to bring the issue of Somalia during the coming meeting of the IGAD Ministerial Committee and exert utmost efforts in realizing the pledge made by the international community in Brussels, Belgium for the cause of Somalia. http://nazret.com/bl og/index.php?title=e thiopia_remains_prac tical_partner_of_tf& more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
