Security Council urged to deploy stabilization force in Somalia as FOREIGN MINISTER c

[Koora-Tuunshe]

Security Council urged to deploy stabilization force in somalia as FOREIGN MINISTER calls for African Union mission to form its nucleus

UN Press Releases and Meetings Coverage

July 23, 2008

Ali Ahmed Jama, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, addresses a Security Council meeting on the situation in his country. Location: United Nations, New York . Date: 23 July 2008.

 

Members of the Security Council were urged today to consider establishing a United Nations stabilization or peacekeeping force in Somalia as part of the Djibouti Agreement aimed at ending the “17-year-old agony of the Somali people”.

 

The new accord between Somalia`s Transitional Federal Government and the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia was signed on 9 June and witnessed by a number of observer States and international organizations, including France, United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the African Union, League of Arab States, Organization of the Islamic Conference and the European Union. Representatives of Governments accredited to Somalia also attended.

 

Today, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia, said the accord provided the first opportunity in more than a decade to end the pervasive violence, which was forcing more than 800,000 people to scatter within the country, having already sent more than 3 million Somalis into exile. Implementation of the Djibouti Agreement would provide security for humanitarian programmes, in particular naval escorts for the World Food Programme (WFP) which delivered much of its assistance by sea. It would also afford systematic protection for aid workers in south and central Somalia who were often victims of targeted killings.

 

But the Agreement would not bring peace overnight, especially with meddling by “spoilers” and “freelance mediators”, he pointed out. “The Somalis have started working together and today the ball is in the court of the international community. We must act quickly,” he added, urging the Council to deliver a strong message of support. One possibility the Security Council might consider was “re-hatting” the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). Other options would be deploying an international stabilization force, as suggested in the Secretary-General`s latest report on developments in the country, or establishing a separate United Nations peacekeeping force.

 

At the same time, the Council should review those on its sanctions list in order to recognize the role of individuals who had decided to change their behaviour and support peace, he continued. All peace processes had individuals or groups who set out to reject agreements and the Djibouti accord should be seen as an incentive for all Somalis to contribute to the “re-birth of their country”.

 

Appealing for the Council`s urgent assistance in consolidating national reconciliation efforts, Ali Ahmed Jama Jengeli, Somalia`s Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, suggested that the African Union force already deployed in the country should be the nucleus of any future United Nations stabilization or peacekeeping force. A 26,000-strong force was not necessary as had been envisioned in past discussions. A much smaller force, under United Nations mandate and funding, was sufficient. “We hope that we are all in agreement that if the Security Council authorizes the deployment of a United Nations international stabilization force without delay, we will have ample reason to believe that the agony of the Somali people will draw to an end,” he said.

 

Ramtane Lamamra, the African Union`s Commissioner for Peace and Security, affirmed that the regional body stood ready for ultimate inclusion in an international stabilization force provided for in the Djibouti Agreement. At the moment, AMISOM faced a severe lack of funding and logistical support. It was currently embarking on a new troop-generation exercise to beef up its strength to the authorized 8,000 troops from the current level of 2,600.

 

He repeated a suggestion made to Council members in Djibouti that a strong naval component would allow the proposed United Nations force to extend its focus beyond Mogadishu, the Somali capital. In addition to strengthening security for humanitarian efforts, it would contribute to implementation of the arms embargo, enhance the protection of resources in Somalia`s territorial seas and prevent the dumping of waste in its coastal waters.

 

First seized of the situation in Somalia in early 1992, the Council subsequently held numerous meetings, received many reports and dispatched several fact-finding missions to the country. The Secretary-General`s latest report (document S/2008/466) says 3.5 million people could be in need of humanitarian assistance by the end of 2008, and the delivery of basic social services has virtually collapsed in most parts of the country. The human rights situation continues to be characterized by indiscriminate violence and frequent attacks against civilians, including the arbitrary detention of human rights defenders, arbitrary arrests and extrajudicial killings of journalists, and sexual violence.

 

According to the report, a spate of 14 piracy incidents off the Somali coast in the first half of 2008 alone have made those territorial waters among the most dangerous in the world for shipping.

 

The meeting began at 10:15 a.m. and ended at 10:50 a.m.

 

[Koora-Tuunshe]

BEFORE SECURITY COUNCIL, ENVOY TO SOMALIA OFFERS SUGGESTIONS FOR FACILITATING PEACE IN THE WAR-TORN COUNTRY

 

BY CAROLINE PATTON: 24/07/2008 (MaximsNews Network)

UNITED NATIONS - / MaximsNews Network / 24 July 2008 --Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the UN representative in Somalia , spoke today to the Security Council and warned that the international community must act soon to bring a halt to the violence and unrest that has plagued Somalia since the end of its last real government in 1991.

 

He said that conditions were currently favorable for the UN to move forward now that the Djbouti Agreement was signed last month between the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia and the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia. The agreement requires both sides to cease fighting and asked for a UN international stabilization force.

 

Mr. Ould-Abdallah asked the Security Council to make clear its backing of the agreement to the international community. He opined that, “[g]iven that Somalis have suffered for so long, and the current favourable political context following the Djibouti Agreement, it is time for the Security Council to take bold, decisive and fast action.”

 

Among the ideas discussed by Mr. Ould-Abdallah was replacing the present African Union peacekeepers with UN troops or alternatively simply “rehatting” the current soldiers as UN personnel. He also suggested that a multinational force could be brought in under the aegis of the UN.

 

Mr. Ould-Abdallah hailed the Djibouti Agreement as an chance to break the cycle of fighting that has engulfed Somalia for so long. He asked the Security Council to reconsider those who have sanctions against them and acknowledge the people and groups that had given up violence. In this way, Mr. Ould-Abdallah argued, those who refuse to do so will be pushed to the margins.

 

The agreement also facilitates the delivery of aid to the million who need it, including allowing for naval escorts to protect food being brought in by the WFP. Around 80 percent arrives via ships. He said that, “[a]n effective implementation of the Agreement should be an incentive to bring more Somalis on board and give them a chance to contribute to the birth of their country.”

 

Somalia faces 2.6 million people, around 35 percent of its inhabitants, who rely on international help. Humanitarian operations have been hampered in the past by unrest and attacks on aid leaders and vehicles belonging to the UN and its partners. Around 95 percent of humanitarian personnel in south and central Somalia come from the country and face great danger in carrying out their jobs.

 

The Djibouti Agreement has already received the support of many in the UN, as well as the European Union, Norway and the United States . With continued international backing, perhaps Somalia will finally be able to regain a secure footing and begin a stable and peaceful future.

 

- Caroline Patton

[General Duke]

where is the secessionist rep at the UN

[AfricaOwn]

^^^

Look at the condition you're in...You're from a place where small time crooks, pirates and slobby gangsters dwell...At least the Mafia are organized.

[sunaari]

slowly, but surely Somalia will be back in real business.

[Koora-Tuunshe]

^It will only if enough attention and resources is given to Somalia. Even a quarter of what is given to Palestine should be enough to reverse the crisis and restore Hope.