Egypt, UN efforts to move political process in Somalia
Somalia-Egypt-UN, Politics, 5/21/2007

Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit on Sunday met with the African Union Commission President Alpha Oumar Konare, currently visiting Egypt on a range of African hot issues, topped by Somalia and Darfur.

Speaking to the press following the meeting, he termed his meeting with Konare as "very frank," as the Egyptian side was very keen to analyze conditions in Somalia and Darfur and to convey Cairo's viewpoint on how to activate the political process and dialogue between the Sudanese government and the parties which did not sign the Abuja agreement.

The Egyptian side also shed light on the need to restore security and stability to Somalia and to secure the launch of a comprehensive dialogue that could help realize national reconciliation in the country.

AU Commission chairman Konare expressed deep concern about the deteriorating security and humanitarian conditions in Somalia, stressing the need to deploy African peacekeeping forces to facilitate the withdrawal of the Ethiopian forces, Abul-Gheit told reporters.

Abul-Gheit said he briefed Konare on Egyptian views regarding the activation of the political process in Somalia within the context of a partnership between the AU, the Arab League, the UN and a number of international and regional parties concerned.

The United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator today appealed to the Security Council to step up its efforts to quell the violence and end the suffering in Somalia.

“Otherwise, I fear the worst,” John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said as he briefed the 15-member body on his recent visit to Somalia and Northern Uganda.

Affirming that the UN has a responsibility “not to turn its back on Somalis in their latest hour of desperate need,” Holmes said that there has been recent massive displacement following the worst fighting in the 16 years that the East-African country has gone without a functioning government.

This has compounded the miseries of chronic food insecurity, alternating droughts and floods and endemic disease, he said.

As the highest-ranking UN official to visit the country since the early 1990’s, Holmes said his discussions with leaders of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) – notably President Abdullahi Yusuf and Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedhi – were complicated by disagreement on the severity of the crisis.

Previous Stories:
  Sudan welcomes Egypt deploying 2000 soldiers in Darfur   (5/15/2007)
  Mubarak, Bashir discuss peace efforts in Sudan   (5/7/2007)
  Deadly violence in Somalia kills 250   (4/23/2007)
  Mubarak efforts regarding Darfur   (4/23/2007)
  Egyptian efforts to stop fighting in Somalia   (4/2/2007)
  Stress on political dialogue in Somalia   (3/13/2007)
  Somalia peacekeeping force approved by UN   (2/21/2007)
  Egypt denies interference in Somalia's internal affairs   (11/18/2006)
  Abul Gheit: Egypt closely follows up Somali developments   (10/23/2006)

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