Addressing a news conference in Nairobi, US Ambassador to Kenya,
Michael Ranneberger, announced the US' backing for the upcoming
Somali reconciliation conference, labeling it the best chance in
decades for the democratic future of the African country to be
smoothly mapped out. He further urged the transitional government
to make the conference inclusive by reaching out to the country's
recently ousted Islamic militants.
Ranneberger added that "we further continue to support the
process of national reconciliation and also the deployment of
African Union forces. We are also seeking substantial funding
support urgent developments in Somalia," the envoy said.
Washington has pledged to finance efforts to stabilize Somalia,
for the moment having put up US$14 million to bolster African Union
(AU) peacekeeping operations and US$26 million for development and
humanitarian efforts in Somalia, he pointed out.
"The US$40 million is already being spent in Somalia. The
additional funds totalling US$60 million should bring about true
progress in development efforts and help AU peacekeeping attempts
to stabilize Somalia," said Ranneberger.
"The plan for national reconciliation is now very promising with
documents charting the needed sharing of national power across
federal institutions. Our conclusion is that the coming process
will need to be much more inclusive as it is positive."
The transitional government, now restated to its rightful
position, has come under pressure from Ethiopia, the United States,
the European Union and the United Nations to reach out to all
parties in Somalia to bring back moderate Islamists and influential
tribal groups to negotiations.
Exiled Islamist leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, a moderate member of
the Islamic courts movement that formerly controlled much of
Somalia, including Mogadishu, is one of the figureheads that
western nations see as necessary to reconciliation.
"We do think the situation in Somalia is moving forward in a
very positive way. We do think there are good prospects to
consolidate peace and democratic governance in the coming months in
Somalia," said Ranneberger.
The AU has so far deployed 1,200 Ugandan peacekeepers in
Somalia, with a total of 8,000 expected over the next six months
with troops from Burundi, Nigeria, Ghana and Malawi set to
arrive.
The transitional government further maintained it would bring
peace to Mogadishu within 30 days. However, residents have
continued to flee under the repeated mortar and gun fire coming
from insurgents.
Since Ethiopian-backed government troops seized the capital,
security has been slow to return to normal.
This has prompted many analysts to predict that no country would
send in peacekeepers to Somalia, should the government prove unable
to overwhelm the sporadic resistance it encounters in
Mogadishu.
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Masked men believed to be affiliated with the Islamic militants
dragged the corpses of two soldiers through the streets of the
Somali capital on Wednesday and set their bodies alight as the
government endured fierce battles to consolidate its control of the
city.
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Medical officials announced at least seven dead and 36 wounded as
Mogadishu weathered some of its heaviest fighting in months.
(Xinhua News Agency, March 22, 2007)
