Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH (dpa)
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Jendayi Frazer, assistant secretary of state for African affairs, met with leaders of war-torn Somalia's transitional government Saturday in the city of Baidoa.
"This was the first visit to Somalia by a senior US official in over a decade," US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a statement issued in Washington. "Her visit highlighted the US commitment at the highest levels to support the efforts of the Somali people to take advantage of their historic opportunity to achieve stability and security. "
Frazer attended a meeting Thursday in Cairo of the International Contact Group for Somalia, in which the United States is a member along with European, African and Arab representatives.
On Saturday, Frazer met with transitional Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf, Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi and legislative leaders, addressed the transitional parliament and held meetings Somali clan elders civil society representatives.
"She urged the leadership of the transitional federal institutions, clans, and civil society to support the current truce and to work urgently to bring about inclusive national reconciliation," McCormack said.
There was agreement in all Frazer's meetings that "the reconciliation process should be open to all Somalis who eschew violence, extremism, and terrorism," the statement said.
The United States is preparing to issue 40 million dollars in assistance for humanitarian and development aid to Somalia, and the State Department is seeking congressional authorization for another 60 million dollars, including assistance for deployment of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) stabilization force.
Source: DPA, April 08, 2007