South African DA:'Somalia deserves support'

[Naxar Nugaaleed]

'Somalia deserves support' -SA

Posted Wed, 21 Jun 2006

 

Somalia's embattled transitional government deserves the support of South Africa and others, South Afican Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota has said.

 

Speaking in the National Assembly, he also ruled out unilateral South African military intervention in the chaotic east African nation.

 

Lekota was responding to Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Tony Leon, who expressed deep concern at reports warning of a catastrophic humanitarian situation developing in Somalia.

 

"There is every indication that a major confrontation is brewing between militia run by Islamic courts and troops loyal to the transitional government, and prospects of an invasion by neighbouring Ethiopia," Leon said.

 

While the DA welcomed the decision to lay the groundwork for a possible deployment of a peace-keeping mission to Somalia, two critical issues still needed to be resolved.

 

"Firstly, which side of the conflict has a legitimate right to support from outside forces? Secondly, given the deep mistrust the majority of Somalis have of foreigners, it still needs to be determined whether a foreign force would serve to heighten or lessen the conflict."

 

Therefore, the South African government should immediately announce what role if any, it intended to play in the troop deployment and how advanced the plans were to deploy an African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission, Leon said.

 

Lekota said it was important to remember the historical context of Somalia.

 

The country was one of the so-called "failed states" that resulted during the closing years of the cold war.

 

The AU's approach - and that of the Organisation for African Unity before it - was that colonial boundaries should be maintained.

 

If they were not, it could unleash "incredible conflicts everywhere in the continent".

 

Therefore, the AU considered there to be one Somalia.

 

Most of the warring parties had signed an agreement, which had produced the transitional government in Kenya.

 

The AU continued to support that effort, and therefore the return to Somalia of the transitional government, with the understanding that it would continue efforts to further unite and consolidate the nation of Somalia.

 

However, as had also been demonstrated in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, "there's always one or two elements that will not be attracted to the idea of peace", Lekota said.

 

This was the grouping which had declared a "separatist position of Somaliland".

 

The AU and South Africa supported the one Somalia, and therefore the transitional government "deserves our support".

 

Regarding allegations of an Ethiopian offensive, he said it might well be that media reports suggested an imminent attack, but "that's not correct".

 

"Ethiopia is cautiously guarding its eastern borders, but there is no intention indicated anywhere...that Ethiopia is planning to attack Somalia."

 

In any event, as supporters of the transitional government, Ethiopia would be attacking the transitional government it was trying to help put into place.

 

While the South African National Defence Force was prepared to assist in Somalia, it would only do so as part of an AU mission.

 

South Africa could make no independent decision in this regard.

 

"We don't just act like an unguided missile and decide we're going to go one place or another," Lekota said.

 

Sapa

web page However, as had also been demonstrated in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, "there's always one or two elements that will not be attracted to the idea of peace", Lekota said.

 

This was the grouping which had declared a "separatist position of Somaliland".