[allAfrica.com] Annan Says Proposed Force for Somalia Not 'Invasion Force' The Ethiopian Herald (Addis Ababa) NEWS December 11, 2006 Posted to the web December 11, 2006 By ENA Addis Ababa UN Chief Kofi Annan Thursday said the regional peacekeeping force slated to be deployed in Somalia should convince the country's fundamentalist forces that it is not coming in as " an invasion force." The UN Security Council Wednesday unanimously endorsed the deployment of a 8,000-strong peacekeeping mission which will be manned by troops from the seven nation East African Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD). "I would hope that those who are going to be sending in troops will find a way of engaging the Somali parties, to let them know that they are coming there to help them stabilize the situation, to help their people, and they are not coming in as an invasion force of any kind," Annan said. "It is important that we get the Somalis to understand that the force is coming in to help, and not to have a confrontation with the peacekeeping force, and so it has to be handled very carefully," Annan noted. The resolution presented by the United States and unanimously approved by the 15 members of the UN Security Council authorizes the peacekeeping force to provide training and security service for six months period in Somalia. The peace-keeping mission would be carried out by the East African Inter- Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) that embraces seven countries of the region. The resolution also includes partially lifting of the arms embargo on Somalia imposed in 1992 with a view to giving mandate to the peacekeeping force to provide military training for the soldiers of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFGS). In an interview with the BBC, Festus Abuyage, who is head of a peace mission programme at South Africa's Institute for Security Studies said "the decisions seem to be boost support for the TFG which I think is the only credible political process underway until we see some substantive outcome from the Khartoum Talks which unfortunately have also broken down." "The UIC granted it holds way of large sectors of Somalia. Nonetheless, it is not the legitimate government of Somalia. And I didn't mention that as far as politics is concerned, the TFG is probably the only legitimate political institution within Somalia at this stage, BBC quoted Abuyage as saying. But the decision of the Security Council is to support the TFG. The forces that have been referred are to be deployed to Baidoa or to the areas under the control of the TFG, he said. The head also said the UIC do not constitute the legitimate political authority in Somalia, and there is need internationally to broker dialogue between the two parties. "The TFG, in accordance with the Transitional Federal Charter is to be supported. Subsequent to the decision of the IGAD working in collaboration with the International partners forum... the Security Council has legitimate authority to decide the deployment of such a force to support the TFG." The UIC must give a chance and must not take a position that hinders any concert dialogue with the TFG and must not present itself as the only legitimate political authority in Somalia, he said. Meanwhile, Uganda expressed readiness to send a battalion of peacekeeping troops to Somalia in line with the U.N. Security Council resolution as soon as parliament gives its approval, Reuters reported quoting Uganda's State Minister for Defence. "We have our standby force, which is trained and prepared. They are ready to go as soon as parliament approves it," State Minister for Defence Ruth Nankabirwa told Reuters. Government officials in Baidoa, the only town the TFG controls, praised the U.N. move and thanked the United States for its support, Reuters reported. Somalia's Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Geedi, in an interview with the BBC said the decision passed by the UN Security Council is a very positive step toward ensuring stability and security in Somalia and the region as a whole. "The so called Union of Islamic Courts are not responsible of the people and the country of Somalia. This is the responsibility of the government. So, any step against the people and country of Somalia will be considered by the government not by the UIC and their allies." "These terrorists, if they succeed, I don't think they will not stop in Somalia. They will cross the borders and the neighbours of Somalia. So, it is a regional issue rather that a national one. So, we have a common objective and strategy in order to protect the region from any further terrorist actions," Geedi told the BBC. Somalia's TFG Ambassador to Ethiopia, Abdulkarim Farah said the Somali government accepts the decision of the UN Security Council, adding it is time to have peaceful dialogue, the Amharic Service of the VOA reported. Press and Information Acting Director Wahid Belay also said though it is delayed, the Ethiopian Government welcomes the decision, adding the decision should be materialized as soon as possible. "The deployment of a regional force to Somalia was needed in preventing the situation from further deterioration" and a "critical element to help resume credible dialogue" between the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFI) and the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), VOA quoted U.S. Ambassador to the UN John Bolton. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer, said deployment of the peacekeeping force would help in facilitating dialogue between the TFG and the UIC. The military expansion of the UIC should be stopped, Frazer said and added that there are evidences that indicate the al-Qaeda network is operating in Somalia. =============================================================================== Copyright © 2006 The Ethiopian Herald. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). ===============================================================================