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Ethiopian Govt. Applauds UN Arms Lift Embargo

Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu)
NEWS
December 8, 2006
Posted to the web December 8, 2006

By Hassan Kalkata.
Mogadishu
Ethiopian government has welcomed the endorsement made by the United Nations
Security Council to consider authorizing Inter-Governmental Authority on
Development (Igad) and other African Union countries to deploy troops to
Somalia.
Ethiopian authorities say that the UN approval might make certain of the
Ethiopian's right policy toward Somalia.
Berhan Hailu, Ethiopian minister of information told reporters that his
government will give a great hand of implementing this decision.
Ethiopian government reiterated that it would support every avenue that Somalia
can achieve peace and stability.
Mr. Hailu says Ethiopian government and its people are greatly believe in the
UN approval of lifting arms embargo on Somalia, adding that it will find peace
which lost before.
The endorsement of the UN Security Council for the mandate and concept of the
operation specified in the deployment plan include the deployment of 8000 an
African peace keepers from African nations but the resolution excludes the
neighboring countries or what is known the frontline states, like Somalia's
historic arch foe Ethiopia, as well as Kenya and Djibouti.
Islamic militants in control of most of southern Somalia warned on Thursday
that war would erupt over a UN decision authorizing an African force to protect
the country's internationally recognized but virtually incapable government.
Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahemd, the head of the Islamic courts executive committee,
said on Thursday the United States wants to revenge on the Somali people in the
war in which they had lost 18 soldiers in 1993 when its troops were in Somalia
for assistance operations dabbed "restoration of hope". "Our troops are geared
up to fight with any foreign soldier that comes to Somalia", Sheik Ahmed said.
Ibrahim Hassan Addow, the Islamists' de facto foreign minister has also said
that the Islamic courts soldiers would resist any peacekeeping troops.
Meanwhile, the transitional federal government has welcomed warmly by the
decision and pointed it as a very good step toward peace in Somalia.
But many analysts deem that the UN backed resolution would trigger all out war
in Somalia.


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