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Neighbouring countries must stay out of fighting in
Somalia - Annan
Accra, Dec 28 – United Nations Secretary-General Busumuru
Kofi Annan on Thursday appealed to Somalia’s neighbours to
stay out of the spiralling violence in that country, where
Ethiopia has admitted sending troops amid fighting between
the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the Union of
Islamic Courts (UIC).
“It is essential that neighbouring governments stay out of
this,” Busumuru Annan said adding that he had spoken to
Ethiopian President about the issue.
The Secretary-General made his remarks after leaving a
closed-door meeting of the Security Council where the body’s
15 members were discussing their response to the fighting in
Somalia.
“The Council is in genuine debate,” he said, voicing hope
that the talks would soon reach a conclusion.
Today in Addis Ababa, representatives of the Africa Union
(AU), the League of Arab States and the Intergovernmental
Authority on Development (IGAD) discussed Somalia.
“IGAD has indicated that they would want to deploy troops to
Somalia,” the Secretary-General said, adding, “I’m not sure
they would be able to do it in the current climate.”
He recalled his own call to the parties to return to the
negotiating table in an effort to resolve their differences
through dialogue and seek reconciliation.
“I would also appeal to neighbouring countries to stay out
of the crisis in Somalia and respect the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of Somalia.”
On Tuesday, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative
for Somalia, François Lonsény Fall, said the Council should
call on the two sides to halt the fighting immediately, not
to take any further provocative actions, and resume their
dialogue without preconditions.
Today, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) announced that the
violence has forced a suspension of air aid deliveries which
were part of operations aimed at feeding up to a half
million Somalis affected by recent floods.
Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991. The
TFG and UIC were holding talks in Khartoum but the latest
round, scheduled for October, was postponed over the issue
of preconditions, and violence between them flared earlier
this month.
GNA
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