The UN Security Council authorises a regional force to support Somalia's weak transitional government which faces pressures from Islamist militias, BBC says. The United States-led resolution, co-sponsored by Tanzania, Congo and Ghana, urged the Somali government to resume peace talks.
The resolution called to allow Somali government to re-arm after an arms embargo the government faces since 1992. The Security Council agrees to support an 8000 strong mission from the seven nations of east African body, Igad.
The resolution, adopted unanimously by the 15 nation council and said Somalia's transitional government represented the only route to achieve peace and stability in the country, which has been without effective central government since 1991.
Observers say it will take a long time for any peacekeepers to arrive and the resolution may be primarily intended to show symbolic support for the government.
However, the Islamic Courts (UIC) which seized the capital Mogadishu in June and took control of most of the country refused the resolution and said the will consider any foreign forces in the country as a foreign invasion which will be faced in turn by fighting.
Meanwhile, the UIC has declared war on Ethiopia which has twice fought wars over control of Ethiopia's large Somali-speaking region. Ethiopia's Deputy Foreign Minister, Tekeda Alemu has held direct talks in Djibouti with senior representatives of Somalia's Union of Islamic Courts.
Ethiopia has explained its support of the transitional government against the UIC. News says representatives from neighbouring nations, as well as Kenya's ambassador to Somalia took part in that meeting.
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Thursday, December 07, 2006
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