UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Friday expressing its intention to establish a U.N. peacekeeping force in Somalia, but putting off a decision for several months in order to assess the volatile situation in the Horn of Africa nation.
The resolution renewed the mandate of the African Union force, known as AMISOM, for another six months and urged African nations to beef up AMISOM's troop strength from the current 2,600 to the 8,000 originally authorized.
The resolution expressed the council's ''intent to establish a United Nations Peacekeeping Operation in Somalia as a follow-on force to AMISOM, subject to a further decision of the Security Council by June 1, 2009.''
Somalia is currently at a dangerous crossroads. The president resigned in late December, saying he has lost control of most of the country to Islamic insurgents. The Ethiopian troops who have been protecting the fragile, U.N.-backed government are pulling out, leaving a dangerous power vacuum. Islamic groups are starting to fight among themselves for power, and piracy is rampant off its coast.
U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said the United States, which drafted the resolution, believes there must be a comprehensive approach.
''The resolution adopted today essentially addressed the root causes by making a clear commitment that the Security Council will assume its responsibility with regard to Somalia,'' he told the council.
While the United States wanted a commitment from the council to establish a peacekeeping force in June, Khalilzad said many other council members insisted on holding another vote, which President George W. Bush's outgoing administration accepted.
The incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama appears far less enthusiastic about a U.N. force in Somalia.
At her U.S. Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday, Susan Rice, who has been nominated by President-elect Barack Obama to replace Khalilzad, expressed deep skepticism about a U.N. peacekeeping mission in Somalia.
Asked about her reservations, Khalilzad said the current resolution will give Rice an opportunity to express herself in the next council vote by June 1, and ''this is frankly the best way to go.''
The council made clear in the resolution that ultimately Somali security forces ''would assume full responsibility for providing security in Somalia.''
No comments:
Post a Comment