Allafrica
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Foreign Minister Dr Tedros met Nicholas Kay,
UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Somalia to discuss
recent developments in Somalia and IGAD's effort in assisting the peace
talks between the Federal Government and political actors in Southern
Somalia. Mr. Kay expressed his condolences for the death of the four
crew members in an airforce plane crash in Mogadishu.
Appreciating the peace efforts neighboring countries were exerting in
Somalia, Mr. Kay said the UN was ready to support IGAD's effort to
start a dialogue between the Federal Government and Jubaland. He
expressed the UN's keenness to see all remaining issues resolved and a
political deal reached. Regarding assistance from the international
community, Mr. Kay said the international community was not doing enough
collectively, and he stressed the need to coordinate these efforts as
well as the assistance given to Somalia.
Dr. Tedros said Ethiopia believed the positive role taken by
Somalia's neighbors would help solve the country's problems and it was
in that spirit that IGAD engaged itself in the peace talks between the
Government and Jubaland. Ethiopia believed in the Somalia Federal
Government's ownership and leadership in solving these problems in
accordance with its priorities, he emphasized. Ethiopia's engagement
with the Federal Government of Somalia and Jubaland was based on this
principle, he emphasized and the two sides were the only ones who should
solve their differences. Ethiopia was optimistic that this could be
done through peaceful means. Ethiopia would do whatever necessary to
help, as agreement among the political leaders in Somalia was vital to
consolidate the gains made so far against Al-Shabaab.