S/PV.6173
6173rd meeting
Wednesday, 29 July 2009, 10 a.m.
New York
The situation in Somalia
Mr. Dabbashi (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) (spoke in Arabic): At the outset, I would like to thank Mr. Ahmedou Ould Abdallah for his very valuable briefing and his great efforts to help the Somali people solve their problems and restore peace in the country. I would also like to thank Mr. Ramtane Lamamra, the African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security, for his comprehensive briefing on the Union’s position on this issue. I would also like to welcome Mr. Omaar, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Somalia, and thank him for his statement.
My country is very concerned about the use of force and violence to overthrow the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in Somalia at a time when the Government has tirelessly sought to reach out to the armed opposition groups and convince them to renounce violence and participate in the Government. It has held consultations with the leaders of tribes, sheikhs and religious leaders, and made tangible progress in the transition process. Its actions have been welcomed by the Somali people.
The international community should step up its financial and political support for the Government of President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed so that it can extend its authority over the entire territory of the country. We also welcome the commitment of the Government of the Somali President to establish a broad-based administration in accordance with the agreement signed with Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a and some elements of Hizbul Islam.
We express our concern over reports of the presence of foreign elements in the armed opposition groups. These elements are seeking to further their own objectives and agendas, and their presence will prolong the conflict in the country.
We call on the international community to respond to the appeals launched by the African Union at its meeting in Sirte early this month for the implementation of the commitments undertaken at the Doha conference, and by the International Contact Group at its meetings in Brussels and Rome for support to the Somali Government. We call on States that are able to do so to support and promote the African Union Mission in Somalia through the Trust Fund and to support African States that are willing to provide troops so that the Mission can reach its authorized strength of 8,000 as quickly as possible.
I must point out here that the Governments of Uganda and Burundi are to be commended for the unflagging sacrifices they have made to bring security and peace to the Somali people. We hope that they will accelerate the process to transform the African Union Mission in Somalia into a United Nations Mission in Somalia.
With respect to piracy off the Somali coast, we would like to express our gratitude to the States Members of the United Nations and the regional organizations that have undertaken to protect ships and helped the World Food Programme, the United Nations and humanitarian institutions and agencies to provide humanitarian assistance to those in need. At the same time, we believe that addressing the issue of piracy in the long term will require a comprehensive approach that seeks to end the conflict, restore stability, support the ability of the Somali Government to extend its authority over the entire territory, including its coasts, and exploit and protect sustainable sources of income, particularly living marine resources, which for many years have been exposed to plunder by foreign companies through illegal fishing in Somali territorial waters.
At the humanitarian level, we note that intensifying acts of violence over the past three months have led to the very serious deterioration of the humanitarian situation. At least 250 civilians have been killed, hundreds injured and 204,000 displaced from the capital, Mogadishu. The number of persons emigrating to Yemen or otherwise becoming refugees during the first quarter of this year rose by 30 per cent compared to the first quarter of last year.
We call on all States to continue to support humanitarian assistance and reconstruction priority programmes. In this context, we recall that the World Food Programme still needs $136 million to feed more than 3 million individuals in all parts of Somalia. We hope that the international community will provide the necessary contributions to that end. In that connection, we commend the efforts of those providing humanitarian assistance, who are carrying out their responsibilities in an environment increasingly fraught with risk.
Finally, we are very concerned at the information contained in the report regarding the recruitment of children younger than 18 and their use in armed confrontations. We call on those responsible to put an end to that practice and to permit those children to return to their families as soon as possible.
