United Nations Radio

Somalian refugees

PRES: The time has come for the United Nations to establish a presence in Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, UN Special Representative of the Secretary General told the Security Council on Wednesday. Somalia is at a turning point, says Mr. Ould-Abdallah, and the international community has an obligation to move quickly to support peace efforts. Jocelyne Sambira reports.

NARR: When most people think of Somalia, they recall the tragic events of 1993 and have visions of dead US soldiers being dragged by army jeeps. Of late, stories of piracy, kidnappings of humanitarian workers and attacks of UN offices inside the country make the situation look even more desperate. However, according to the UN representative Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, there is hope.

Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah

ABDALLAH: "Past failure should not discourage us from taking future action to help stability. The time has come for the United Nations to show it is serious about moving to Somalia. Our temporary presence in Nairobi has lasted far too long-15 years. We can only work effectively for peace with the Somalis and address pressing humanitarian needs if we are close to the victims of famine, violence and other different abuses."

NARR: It is not the first time that Ahmedou Ould Abdallah has raised the issue of a protected or green zone inside the capital of Somalia, Mogadishu. However, some members of the Security Council feel that it is too dangerous to talk about moving there for now: Konstantin Dolgov of the Russian Federation.

Konstantin Dolgov

DOLGOV: The ongoing instability in this country is a subject of serious concern for us. The situation in the area of security remains absolutely unacceptable and unsatisfactory and in these conditions, unfortunately, it is difficult to talk realistically about the possibility of expanding the UN presence on the territory of Somalia.

NARR: The Minister of Foreign Affairs in Somalia, Mohamed Abdullahi Omaar begs to differ.

Abdullahi Omaar

OMAAR: The moment is now, to rebuild an institutional base and an operational state that will bring stability to Somalia. And I think that is a very important decision. In partnership we are now of like mind that this has to work, this has to be put in place so that the state can be rebuilt properly and Somalia can take its position.

NARR: The position of the African Union is Somalia is not a simple civil war but a regional and global threat requiring bold and innovative measures such as the protection of its air space and territorial waters from foreign combatants. The United States representative, Alejandro Wolff seconds that view.

Alejandro Wolff

WOLFF: Supporting AMISOM should be central to the international community's strategy of stabilizing Mogadishu and supporting the Somali peace process. My government urges donors to fulfill the pledges made at the April Security Council in Brussels to address the continuing threat of insecurity posed by extremists.

NARR: The European Union and Japan have all agreed to step up their financial and logistics support to Somalia. Sierra Leone and Malawi have also pledged to provide one battalion each. In the meantime, the head of the UN in Somalia Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, is impatiently waiting for a nod from the Security Council to move into the country where he feels the organization is most needed.

OULD-ABDALLAH: If Security Council doesn't act, who will act? Where is the responsibility? Somalia is recognized by everyone as a threat to itself, to the region and to international peace and security. So if Security Council doesn't act, who will act?

NARR: For United Nations Radio, I am Jocelyne Sambira.

(duration: 3'35")