UN / Stabilisation of Somalia remains a priority for Italy, says Frattini
ROME, Italy, September 24, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Italy remains strongly committed to the Somali reconstruction process and to the efforts to train the country’s security forces. We feel it is vital to confirm our support for the transition government and increase the on-going efforts to help Somalia overcome a crisis that has now lasted nearly 2 decades. These are the Italian guidelines confirmed by Foreign Minister Franco Frattini during a meeting on Somalia organised by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in the margins of the General Assembly in New York.
The situation in Somalia remains extremely difficult and in these circumstances confirming our support for the Somali transition government, weak as it is, is the “only possible option”. Hence the unanimous confirmation that further efforts are needed to implement the strategy on Somalia and encourage the national reconciliation process in every way possible. In this framework, the meeting confirmed the condemnation and concerns over the attacks by al-Shabaab, which unfortunately continue to take place. These, and the difficult humanitarian situation, are the concepts set out in a joint paper approved by the meeting in New York. The meeting also discussed the threat of piracy currently plaguing the Somali coast, while recognising the government’s efforts to tackle the problem.
Lastly, at a ministerial G8 meeting, Frattini launched the idea of setting up institutional capacity-building centres at the regional level to strengthen African countries’ ability to respond to the threats of international terrorism.
SOURCE
Italy – Ministry of Foreign Affairs
