Global Policy Forum

The UN Security Council on Friday re-affirmed its full support for the peace process in Somalia and the UN's commitment to help regional and sub-regional organisations working to restore stability in the Horn-of-Africa country, which has lacked an effective government for more than a decade.

"The Council welcomes the progress made in the Somalia national reconciliation process - in particular the establishment of the Transitional Federal Parliament, the election of the speaker of the parliament, the president and the appointment of the prime minister, which provides a sound and solid framework to achieve a comprehensive and lasting solution to the situation," the Council said in a statement adopted on the last day of a two-day meeting in Nairobi.

"The Council reiterates its expectation of the establishment of a broad-based, all-inclusive and effective government inside Somalia that will continue the reconciliation efforts with all Somali parties," it added.

The Council further emphasized its "respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and unity of Somalia, consistent with the purposes and principles of the charter of the UN".

In response to a question from a member of the Council, Somalia's Prime Minister Ali Muhammad Gedi said his government would move from Nairobi to Mogadishu by January, at the latest. "My government will not remain a government in exile," said the prime minister. He added that he planned to send members of a yet-to-be-named cabinet and members of parliament on a fact-finding mission to all parts of the country, following which, the government will be installed inside Somalia.

Addressing the Council, Somalia's President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed said his government was "working on the twin objectives of consolidating reconciliation talks with armed groups and realizing a tangible peace-building plan".

Yusuf said the deployment of 15,000-20,000 troops, which he has urged the African Union (AU) to provide, should not be seen as an attempt to impose the government's will upon the people by force. Parliamentary approval would be sought before AU forces are sent to Somalia, he added.

He said that a 20,000-30,000 National Security Force (police and army) would be recruited, trained and equipped to take over from the peacekeeping forces "at the appropriate time". "The Somali government requests the assistance of the international community in sustaining reconciliation and reconstruction in the whole country," Yusuf said.

The Council stressed that it was the responsibility of all Somali parties to work together to consolidate the gains made so far in the country's reconciliation process. "The Council encourages a dialogue between the international-donor community and the future transitional federal government on the principles and modalities of international coordination under discussion, including the Stockholm meeting of 29 October, and welcomes the UN-led, facilitating role in that dialogue and in subsequent coordination of arrangements," it said in the statement.

The Council commended the regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the government of Kenya and other countries and organisations for facilitating the Somali peace process. It expressed its support for the AU's commitment to assist the transitional process in Somalia and "in particular, the planning for a mission in Somalia, including options for disarmament, demobilization and re-integration".

Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki earlier urged the international community to help Somalia's fledgling government restore law and order in the country. "There is no denying that without a central authority, Somalia poses a risk to its neighbours," Kibaki said in his address to the Council on 18 November. "There is no way of monitoring movement of illicit arms, which have infiltrated our borders and are the cause of the rise in the incidence of violent crimes in our cities. But more importantly, Somalia - without a government - is likely to be a haven for dangerous criminals with terrorist intentions."

Speaking in his capacity as the current chairman of IGAD, Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni also urged the international community to back the new authorities in Somalia to restore normalcy in that country. "IGAD, the AU, the Arab People and the UN should, materially and technically, back this government so that it establishes its authority in Somalia within the shortest time possible," said Museveni.

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