"Kenya and Ethiopia have thrown their weight behind the effort to
defeat Al-Shabaab, and we welcome their contributions as well"
http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/texttrans/2012/01/20120112111825su5.251276e-02.html#axzz1jLNmllUU
Ambassador DeLaurentis at U.N. Security Council Briefing on Somalia
12 January 2012
USUN PRESS RELEASE
January 11, 2012
Remarks by Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis, U.S. Alternate
Representative for Special Political Affairs to the United Nations, at
the Security Council Briefing on Somalia, January 11, 2012
Thank you, Madame President. We welcome you to the Council today as
well as the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, and we thank you both for
your statements.
I would like to thank African Union Peace and Security Commissioner
Lamamra and Under-Secretary-General Pascoe for their briefings. I also
would like to thank the distinguished ministers of Kenya and Uganda
for their presentations, as well as for the deep commitment and
valuable support their countries have shown to Somalia. Working
closely with representatives of troop-contributing countries, the
joint UN-AU assessment mission has done excellent work in providing
the basis for the briefings we’ve heard today.
Madame President, Somalia continues to face Africa’s most complex
challenges. Although famine conditions have eased in some parts of the
country, 3.7 million Somalis are still in need of humanitarian
assistance. Nearly one million Somalis live in exile, and 1.5 million
are displaced and experiencing famine conditions. All parties must
ensure immediate and unfettered access to those in need of emergency
humanitarian assistance. We would like to thank member states for
their generous support of the UN’s 2011 Somalia Consolidated Appeal,
which was funded at 82 percent. Still, there are many gaps. For
example, the protection cluster was only funded at 17 percent,
thwarting efforts to better protect vulnerable women and girls. The
recently launched 2012 Consolidated Appeal requests $1.5 billion. The
United States urges member states to support this appeal. Total U.S.
humanitarian assistance to the region since October 1, 2010 is $870
million, $205 million of which has been used for Somalia. Meanwhile,
Al-Shabaab continues its despicable acts, including suicide bombings,
attacks on civilians and humanitarian workers, and the expulsion of
humanitarian organizations at the height of the world’s gravest
humanitarian catastrophe.
At the same time, we have a moment of opportunity to turn the tide of
violence, poverty, and despair in Somalia. The remarkable courage of
AMISOM and its Ugandan and Burundian troops has helped liberate
Mogadishu from Al-Shabaab’s occupation. We welcome Djibouti’s
deployment and urge the African Union and Djibouti promptly to resolve
any remaining questions about how best to integrate Djboutian troops
into the mission. Kenya and Ethiopia have thrown their weight behind
the effort to defeat Al-Shabaab, and we welcome their contributions as
well. And the Kampala Accord, the Roadmap, and the Garowe conference
outcome all create momentum for critical political reforms that must
complement early security gains.
As difficult as it is for all of us in a time of severe resource
austerity, it is imperative that the international community seize the
moment in Somalia: we must come together and rise to meet these new
challenges. It would be foolish to turn our backs on our collective
successes thus far. That is our responsibility.
We have listened carefully to the African Union’s calls to increase
AMISOM’s troop ceiling beyond the current mandated strength and to the
various proposals to expand the use of UN-assessed funding to support
AMISOM. We await further details from the AU, particularly concerning
the command-and-control architecture, as well as the Secretariat’s
report, including its cost analysis for the AU’s recommendations, and
UNSOA’s assessment of support needs for the AU’s operations outside of
Mogadishu. We will give these proposals thorough consideration and
call for a follow-on discussion as soon as practical.
The United States intends to continue its strong bilateral support to
AMISOM troop contributing countries (TCCs). We have obligated over
$337 million worth of training, equipment, and logistics support to
AMISOM and its TCCs to date, in addition to our UNSOA assessments. We
have further committed over $106 million worth of training, equipment,
and other support to develop the capacity of the Somali security
forces. We urge other member states to provide in-kind support or
contributions to the UN Trust Fund for AMISOM without caveats to fund
urgently needed projects, including reimbursements for contingent
owned equipment. As AMISOM expands its footprint, it is imperative
that it have predictable and uncaveated funding to sustain its
operations.
While AMISOM plays a critical role, a coherent and achievable
political strategy must be in place. The Kampala Accord and Roadmap to
End the Transition are key to achieving long lasting peace and
stability in Somalia. We call upon all Transitional Federal
Institutions, including Parliament, as well as other signatories, to
meet their obligations and responsibilities for Roadmap
implementation.
Let me be absolutely clear on this point: we will hold the Roadmap
signatories to account. They are responsible for achieving the tasks
outlined in the Roadmap, including an agreed upon constitution,
parliamentary reform, and credible and transparent elections. Any
further support by the United States will be contingent upon
successful completion of the key tasks in the Roadmap. We will stand
by Somalia’s side, but are prepared to walk away if the TFG and TFIs
cannot show concrete, measurable progress in 2012.
There is some reason for optimism. While the Roadmap process is far
from complete, the December Garowe Conference, attended by the
signatories of the Roadmap, represents a significant and positive step
forward on completion of the key task of constitutional and
parliamentary reformand indirect election of a President and Speaker
of Parliament by August of this year. The Garowe Principles agreed to
by the senior political leadership now need further discussion and
consideration by a broader cross-section of the Somali people,
including civil society, which we urge begin with the second phase of
the Garowe Conference to be held later this month.
We welcome UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s initiative to host the
February 23 high-level conference in London to maintain momentum for
the political and security successes and build international consensus
and support for the path forward in Somalia.
Finally, Madame President, let me reiterate our strong support of the
United Nations’ efforts in Somalia. The historic visit last month by
the Secretary General and the President of the General Assembly is
evidence of his commitment to restoring peace and stability in
Somalia. The United States commends and fully supports the decision to
move the UNPOS headquarters to Mogadishu this month. We thank Special
Representative Mahiga for his efforts and urge him to remain focused
on compliance with the benchmarks and timelines set by the Roadmap
signatories in accordance with the Kampala Accord.
Thank you.
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Received on Fri Jan 13 2012 - 11:07:03 EST
