U.N. to Somalia: New opportunity for state

[General Duke]

U.N. to Somalia: New opportunity for state

 

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon believes a new opportunity may exist for the Transitional Federal Government in Somalia to establish its full authority.

 

His spokeswoman, Michele Montas, said Thursday, "He urges the transitional authorities to reach out to other groups in the country, with the aim of fostering dialogue and engaging in an all-inclusive political process that can lead to stability, peace and reconciliation, as envisaged in the Transitional Federal Charter.

 

"The secretary-general welcomes the stated intention of Ethiopia to withdraw its forces expeditiously, and calls on all states in the region to respect Somalia's sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity," she added.

 

Montas also said the secretary-general welcomed announcements by some African countries of their readiness to deploy peacekeepers to the protection and training mission decided upon by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the African Union.

 

She said Ban hopes "this mission can be put in place as quickly as possible."

 

"The secretary-general calls on all Somali parties and the international community to seize the current moment and do their utmost to end the heavy loss of life, displacement and suffering that have plagued the country," the spokeswoman said. "The United Nations will continue to do its part to support these efforts and to help Somalis build a country based on human rights and respect for the rule of law."

 

Somalia's TFG had been mostly limited to the Baidoa area of Somalia where it was based, unable to establish itself in the traditional capital of Mogadishu, first because of war lords dominating the Horn of Africa country, then by the Union of Islamic Courts, which routed the war lords.

 

Troops from neighboring Ethiopia, backing the TFG, in turn forced the UIC to flee.