[DEHAI] (ReliefWeb) UN special representative for somalia distances himself from reports accusing Eritrea of so called support to Al-Shebab


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From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Sun May 31 2009 - 18:09:10 EDT


"As for the support of Eritrea for the Islamist group al-Shabab, he said
that there was much talk of such involvement, but there was no way for him
to monitor that situation or to know the truth of such a claim. Asked about
other foreign rebel fighters, he said the rebel leaders had extended a
welcome to such fighters and there was wide information available on them."
  Press conference by Special Representative for Somalia

Source: United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI)

Date: 29 May 2009

Impunity in Somalia was a major factor maintaining a long-running "genocide
in motion" in that Horn of Africa country, the Special Representative of the
Secretary-General emphasized to correspondents at a Headquarters news
conference this afternoon.

"People who have killed, displaced and maimed are still around, whether in
Somalia, Nairobi or in their new country home," Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah said,
adding that many who stayed inside Somalia to continue the violence had put
their families in safe havens outside the country.

Mr. Ould-Abdallah, who was in New York for consultations at Headquarters,
stressed that it was the willingness of anti-Government forces to keep
fighting, whether for profit, power or other reasons, that was devastating
the country, not the threat of an Ethiopian return or the illegitimacy of
the authorities.

The Government might be weak, he said, but it had as strong a claim to
legitimacy as most African Governments; overturning it by force would defy
Security Council resolutions.

Before last year's Djibouti Agreement, which facilitated the departure of
Ethiopian troops, it was claimed that the foreign presence was prolonging
the conflict, he said. After they withdrew, however, the fighting had
continued, and he knew of no evidence of continued Ethiopian presence.

"This is a diversion from the real problem," he said. "Somalis have to stop
killing Somalis and reject any alibis."

As for the support of Eritrea for the Islamist group al-Shabab, he said that
there was much talk of such involvement, but there was no way for him to
monitor that situation or to know the truth of such a claim. Asked about
other foreign rebel fighters, he said the rebel leaders had extended a
welcome to such fighters and there was wide information available on them.

When asked what safeguards were in place to make sure international payments
to trained police forces in Somalia were not engendering abuse to civilians,
Mr. Ould-Abdallah stressed how few trained police there were –- 2,700 –- in
that large country in which civilians were being killed every day. Even
those police had not been paid for 18 months.

To suggest that they should not be supported was irresponsible, he
maintained. "The problem we face today is anarchy and disorder, and not to
pay trained policemen because a few of them may have stolen or may have
abused is unacceptable," he said.

On piracy, Mr. Ould-Abdallah said that that the international presence was
beginning to show results, because the pirates had to go further afield for
their quarry, over 100 pirates had been captured, and their financiers knew
they were being watched.

It was important that it be a truly international effort, he said,
demonstrating to Somalis that there was international attention being paid
to their tragic situation and showing that such efforts could actually work.

Asked about law of the sea issues, he said he was not aware of any
connection between Norwegian oil companies and the joint submission for the
delineation of the continental shelf made by Somalia and Kenya, assisted by
Norway.

He said he did know, however, that Norway had helped other African countries
with their submissions, and that Somalia's was very similar to the ones made
by France, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Spain.

Outlining upcoming political activities on Somalia, Mr. Ould-Abdallah said
that he planned to be in London for an 8 June meeting with the British
Foreign and Commonwealth Office, after which he would convene in Rome the
International Contact Group on Somalia, of which he is the Chair, although
that meeting might be postponed.

He also described contacts with the Intergovernmental Authority on
Development (IGAD), an Africa regional economic group, which he said could
play a role in the Somali crisis similar to that played by the Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in the crises in Liberia and
Sierra Leone.


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