fiogf49gjkf0d
STATEMENT BY THE COUNCIL OF THE LEAGUE OF ARAB STATES AT THE PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVES LEVEL AT ITS EXTRAORDINARY SESSION ON THE DEVELOPMENTS IN SOMALIA,
CAIRO, 4 DECEMBER 2008
newsinsidAt the request of His Excellency, the Secretary General, the League of Arab States Council held an extra ordinary meeting at its Headquarters at the level of Permanent Representatives under the Chairmanship of the Kiengdom of Saudi Arabia and examined the latest developments of the situation in Somalia in all aspects. Having heard the interventions of Ambassador Ramtane Lamamra, AU Commissioner for Peace and ecurity, Heads of Delegation and Members of the General Secretariat,
The Council decided the following:
1- Supports the process of peace and national reconciliation in Somalia through the implementation of all peace accords signed in Djibouti under the auspices of the United Nations with the participation of the African Union and the League of Arab States.
2- Calls upon all Somali factions to use dialogue as the only means for settling their differences and to show full commitment to the implementation of all peace agreements concluded in Djibouti, and condemn all those who perpetrate acts of violence and killing against whom sanctions could be imposed.
3- Takes note of Ethiopia's decision to withdraw its troops from Somalia in line with the Djibouti Agreement and urges the International Community through the Security Council to act so as not to allow the existence of a security vacuum after the pull out of the Ethiopian troops.
4- Decides to provide material and logistic support for the rehabilitation of Somali Army at the national level to enable them to carry out their duty of maintaining security and stability in Somalia.
5- Supports the AU Mission in Somalia, condemns any acts aimed at causing harm to the AU troops or obstructing their mission, calls upon Arab-African States to contribute troops for the full deployment of the African Force and provide urgent additional support to AMISOM in terms of strength and equipment to enable them carry out their security duties irr~mediatelya fter the pull-out of the Ethiopian troops.
6- Urges the Arab league Member States to continue to make financial and logistic conti-ibutions to the deployment of the forces.
7- Calls upon the Security Council to establish and deploy the International Force for the stability of Somalia, which should include AMISOM as well as Arab and Foreign contingents.
8- Calls for the extension of the mandate of AMISOM and the lnternational Force for the stability of Somalia to enable them to contribute to the maintenance of security in all parts of Somalia and on its shores, while considering the fight against piracy part and parcel of the process of restoring Somalia's sovereignty as a state and its security and stability.
9- Unequivocally condemns all acts of piracy and armed seizure either in the Somali territorial waters or the high waters or across its shores and stresses the importance of promoting Afro-Arab Cooperation in support of efforts to combat piracy.
10- Expresses the availability of the League of Arab States to cooperate with the African Union in coordination with the United Nations and the international partners for the organization of an international reconstruction conference with the participation of lnternational Donors to adopt a comprehensive plan for the reconstruction of the security and civil institutions of the Somali State and the realization of the national reconciliation.