The United Nations Security Council would reconsider lifting the
decade-old arms embargo against Somalia to facilitate the
deployment of a regional peacekeeping force in the Horn of Africa
country, a top UN envoy said in Nairobi Friday.
Francois Lonseny Fall, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy
for Somalia, said the UN Security Council was still willing to
approve the deployment of peacekeepers to Somalia despite an
earlier rejection of a request by the Inter-Governmental Authority
on Development (IGAD), peace mediation body, for the lifting last
year.
"The council is ready to lift the arms embargo once a request is
received from the African Union. It would consider lifting the arms
embargo," Fall said.
The 1991 UN arms embargo was slapped when Somalia slipped into
anarchy following the violent ouster of military dictator Siad
Barre.
Previous attempts to reconstitute a government in Somalia had
failed 15 times until June last year.
The African Union said it is stepping up efforts to restore
peace in Somalia with the opening of an office in Somalia last
year.
The UN is also planning to train local army officers to
establish a national army and police force.
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Somalia has been torn by factional fighting since the collapse of
President Muhammad Siad Barre's regime 15 years ago.
Clashes erupted last month in Mogadishu, the capital, and pirate
attacks against aid ships have hampered UN efforts to provide
emergency food at a time when severe drought has affected nearly 2
million people.
(Xinhua News Agency March 18, 2006)
