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12 June, 2007
The Ethiopian defense force has played a crucial role to bring about peace and stability in Somalia and to foil threat posed by terrorists to the region, a top UN official said Monday.
At a press conference held in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, United Nations Undersecretary General for Political Affairs, B. Lynn Pascoe, also said Ethiopia played a significant role to help bring about stability in Somalia, which did not have a central government for the last 16 years.
Pascoe arrived here Sunday evening on the final leg of a mission to the Horn of Africa region, aimed at shoring up efforts to bring peace and stability to Somalia. The trip has taken him thus far to Nairobi, Mogadishu, Asmara and Cairo. On route to the region, Pascoe also attended last week's meeting in London of the International Contact Group on Somalia.
While briefing journalists about his visit to the Horn of Africa region, he said the international community recognizes the legality and legitimacy of Ethiopia's measures of defending against threats of terror and of helping Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) stand on its feet.
Pascoe said the UN considers the Somalia national reconciliation conference, due to take place on Thursday, the best option to ensure sustainable peace in that country.
He reaffirmed that the UN would provide the necessary assistance for the success of the reconciliation conference.
During his four-hour stay in Mogadishu, Pascoe held talks with Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf and Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi on the existing peace and security and on ways of securing humanitarian assistance to war displaced Somalis.
In Ethiopia and Eritrea, Pascoe held wide-ranging discussion with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki on Ethio-Eritrea border issue.
In Kenya, the UN official held talks with representatives of international and non-governmental organizations on current issues in Somalia.
Moreover, Pascoe discussed with senior officials of the African Union (AU) on ways of working closely to bring peace and security in Somalia. Their discussion in particular focused on the ongoing effort to deploying more AU peacekeepers to Somalia.
Source: Xinhua