Security Council calls on Somali political leaders to return to inclusive negotiations.

Deeply concerned about the absence of any credible progress towards national reconciliation in Somalia, the Security Council on 24 January called on all Somali political leaders and parties to return to an inclusive process of consultation and negotiation, leading to the establishment of a broad-based national government.

Through a statement read out by Council President Sir John Weston of the United Kingdom, it urged the leaders of Somali factions to reject violence and place the interests of the country and its people above their personal differences and political ambitions. While expressing appreciation for the efforts of various regional organizations and neighbouring States in promoting dialogue, the Council reaffirmed that the people of Somalia bore ultimate responsibility for achieving national reconciliation and restoring peace.

The Council condemned the harassment, beatings, abduction and killings of personnel of international humanitarian organizations, and underlined the responsibility of all Somali parties to ensure the security of such personnel.

Considering the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian assistance to be crucial to overall security and stability in Somalia, the Council called on the Somali parties and factions to open unconditionally the main seaport in Mogadishu and other transportation facilities. It reminded all States of their obligation to implement fully the military embargo against Somalia and called on them to refrain from actions which might exacerbate the situation.

The Council also supported the Secretary-General's intention to maintain the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) and looked forward to its return to the country as soon as circumstances permitted. (UNPOS is currently based in Nairobi.)

Report of the Secretary-General

In his 19 January report (S/1996/42), the Secretary-General suggested that the Council "might wish to reiterate its call on all Somali parties, especially those who have of late adopted a unilateral approach, to return to an inclusive process of consultation and negotiation". He stated his intention of maintaining UNPOS for the time being. That office would continue its contacts with all concerned Somali parties, while coordinating its activities with interested Governments and regional organizations.

The Secretary-General also urged the international community to respond generously to calls for assistance by the humanitarian agencies, while stressing the responsibility of all Somali parties to ensure the security of humanitarian workers. He noted that, in November 1995, 10 UN agencies had identified their most critical programmes and urgent funding requirements for 1996. The non-food funding requirements totalled some $40 million, which represented in most cases the minimum that was necessary to maintain humanitarian operations in Somalia.

The political situation in the country had been dominated by a debilitating stalemate for almost two years, the Secretary-General stated. During that time. Somali faction leaders had failed to honour their commitments on convening an all-inclusive national reconciliation conference and forming a government by May 1994. However, while there had been no major progress towards national reconciliation, the worst scenario--an all-out civil war--had been averted.

The widely felt frustration had contributed to a split in the United Somali Congress/Somali National Alliance (USC/SNA) in May 1995, the report stated. Subsequently, SNA former leader General Mohamed Farah Aidid had declared a "government" without the consent of other key political factions. That "government" had not been recognized by any Member State or regional organization.

The Secretary-General cited a significant trend which was the emergence of regional administrations. Many political leaders were focusing on the development of regional administrative structures and a peaceful climate in their regions to enable their constituencies to benefit from international assistance. However, the Somalis seemed to be divided as to whether those authorities should constitute the basis for a federal system of government or simply represent a degree of regional autonomy.

It was heartening that Member States and regional organizations had not lost interest in developments in Somalia, despite many disappointments, the Secretary-General said. They had consistently called for a negotiated settlement.

While many Somali leaders had asked that the UN provide financial and logistical support for some of their peace initiatives, UNPOS had no resources for such support, the report stated. Their best hope of attracting international support would be to give some first signs of concrete progress towards peace and reconciliation.

The low level of food production, continued political instability and other factors combined to make international assistance to Somalia essential, the report added. The UN agencies believed that even in the worst-case scenario, their continued operations could play an important role in preventing another major humanitarian crisis. However, drawing down their activities could have the opposite effect.

The most urgent humanitarian needs were food and essential health systems support, particularly immunization and measures to control the spread of epidemic diseases such as cholera, the report stated. Other priorities were the stimulation of agricultural production and the empowerment of local populations. UN agencies plan to continue their current programmes in 1996, resources and security permitting, with the possibility of a rapid expansion in case of acute nutritional problems.

Somalia `not abandoned'

The Security Council on 15 March held a general exchange of views on the situation in Somalia, one year after the withdrawal of the UN Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM II), with several delegations stressing that the international community had not abandoned that country.

The representative of Italy, speaking on behalf of the European Union, expressed support for continued humanitarian assistance and the maintenance of UNPOS. His greatest concern was the humanitarian situation, which had ceased to be "newsworthy". It was the Council's responsibility to keep the international community focused on Somalia.

The United States' representative said her Government was proud of its efforts in Somalia, which had helped end a famine of epic proportions. Somalia remained a dangerous place, but while political developments remained at a stalemate, aspects of the private sector economy, such as agricultural exports, had re-emerged. Further, UN agencies had been addressing the humanitarian, social and economic concerns, despite the insecurity that hampered delivery of humanitarian aid.

Other speakers, however, noted examples of continued hardship, such as a rise in malnutrition and fears of a cholera outbreak. The representative of Kenya urged the Council to continue to treat the situation in Somalia as a threat to international peace and security. He pointed out that arms were being imported into the country in violation of the Council's embargo, and Mogadishu's airport and seaport remained closed. The Organization of African Unity noted that in recent months 600,000 Somalis had fled to other countries, with another 500,000 internally displaced.

Rwanda's representative said he hoped the Council debate would not give participating States a sense of self-satisfaction, rather he hoped it would lead the Council and the UN Secretariat to consider the Somalis as victims of situations over which they had no control. He denounced the "minimalist" attitude of the UN and said the withdrawal of UNOSOM II had helped increase chaos in Somalia, just as genocide in Rwanda had been made possible by the withdrawal of the UN Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR).