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The Reporter (Addis Ababa)

Ethiopia: Rice Speaks On Replacing Troops in Somalia

Namrud Berhane

8 December 2007

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Addis Ababa — "We do believe that Ethiopian forces should not have to stay in Somalia past a certain point, but it is going to require peacekeeping forces -- indeed, fairly robust peace keeping forces -- so that will be part of my discussion here," US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told journalists here on Wednesday.

Rice was in Addis on a one day visit to discuss issues related to conflict prevention and regional stability. The particular focus of her discussions with African leaders revolved around the conflicts in the Great Lakes, Sudan, Somalia and the rising tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

In December last year the UN Security Council approved the establishment of a peacekeeping force for Somalia.

The force was set up by the African Union (AU) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), with an initial mandate of six months, according to the resolution adopted unanimously by the Council.

A year has gone and the plan to deploy an 8,000 strong force of African peacekeepers still has to be fully implemented.

Only Uganda of the five countries who pledged troops has sent in 1,600 of its soldiers.

The Burundians are also reported to be heading to Somalia in the near future.

Earlier this month however the Secretary General of the United Nations issued a statement that peacekeeping in Somalia at this stage was "neither viable nor realistic."

In August the Security Council had asked him to consider the options of sending UN peacekeepers to Somalia.

Ethiopia remains as the only force playing a crucial role supporting Somalia's Transitional Government against persisting clan insurgency, it too however is showing signs of frustration that the international community still remains slow to respond to the problem.

Analysts have said if Ethiopia was to withdraw at this stage Somalia's transitional government had little chance of surviving.

"Ethiopia has single-handedly been playing its role by bearing the huge responsibility that the international community and countries failed to accomplish in collaboration or individually," an official statement from the government said on Tuesday, "The deployment of the peacekeeping force was among the major pledges made by the international community. However, deployment of the peacekeeping contingent was not carried out as promptly and as it was expected."

"I spoke to Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon just before I left Washington and we talked about the need to try to get this peacekeeping force in place.

So, that is part of why I am here," Rice said, "I fully understand that Ethiopia needs and wants to redeploy, and it should be able to redeploy. We appreciate very much the Ugandan forces who are there. We appreciate that Burundi has said that it will deploy and we have tried to help. The United States is trying to help with the Burundi deployment. But I am working hard, we're all working hard to find other forces to supplement the Ugandan and Burundi forces."

She also stressed the need for a political process in Somalia that will encourage "the broadest possible engagement with forces that are not associated with terrorism, but might be a part of a political solution for the Somali people."

These forces, according to Rice could also include members of the anti government alliance formed in Asmara.

Listing Eritrea as list of state sponsors of terrorism

Responding to a question on Eritrea's involvement in Somalia, and an earlier warning by the US that it might consider listing Eritrea as a state sponsor of terrorism, Rice said, "we are looking at exactly that because we are very concerned about the efforts of Eritrea and what it is doing. And, in fact, we have taken some steps because the support for irregular forces, for terrorist forces is simply unacceptable. We hope, at the same time, that there can be efforts for Eritrea and Ethiopia to keep open dialogue or, I should say, to open dialogue about their problems. But the support of Eritrea for forces that are destabilizing is problematic and we've made that very clear."

H.R 2003

"Well, the Administration is against this proposal, this resolution, and we've made that very clear. We don't think this is the way to solve the problem. Look, it would help and I will say to the Ethiopian leaders with whom I meet, it will help if attention is paid to humanitarian circumstances and conditions in the Ogaden and in other regions on the borders. There really does need to be support for people who are caught in the most difficult circumstances, displaced people, and refugees. And humanitarian quarters really do need to be maintained."

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