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COMMUNIQUE OF THE INTERNATONAL CONTACT GROUP ON SOMALIA

Jendayi Frazer, assistant US secretary of state for Africa, right, and Kenyan Foreign Minister Raphael Tuju, left, during a press conference in Nairobi

The International Contact Group on Somalia met on January 5, 2007 to coordinate international efforts to foster stability, security, and reconciliation in Somalia.  There is an historic opportunity for the Somali people to reach sustainable political solutions for Somalia based on the framework of the Transitional Federal Charter.  The Contact Group confirms its readiness to provide immediate support for the stabilization of Somalia based on United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1725, the effective functioning of the Transitional Federal Institutions, and to provide immediate humanitarian and development assistance.

The Contact Group welcomes the commitment of President Abdullah Yusuf to inclusive governance and his determination to prevent a resurgence of warlordism made at today’s meeting.  The Contact Group believes that, if international support is to be effective, it is essential that an inclusive process of political dialogue and reconciliation – embracing representative clan, religious, business, civil society, women’s, and other political groups who reject violence and extremism – be launched without delay.  In particular, the Contact Group further believes the move of the Transitional Federal Institutions to Mogadishu and the establishment of a representative local administration in the capital will be important milestones.

The Contact Group emphasized the urgent need for funding to facilitate the deployment of a stabilization force in Somalia based on UNSC Resolution 1725.  The Contact Group welcomes Uganda’s offer to deploy forces to Somalia as part of this stabilization force and the upcoming mission of the Foreign Minister of Kenya, on behalf of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), to explore additional troop contributions.  To establish local-level stability throughout Somalia, effective Somali security forces, including a civilian police force, must be quickly developed.  The Contact Group notes the important role of the United Nations in facilitating longer-term reconstruction and stabilization in Somalia.

As a demonstration of solidarity with the Somali people, the Contact Group reaffirmed its commitment to continued provision of humanitarian assistance.  The Contact Group urges the international community to provide immediate concrete assistance to the Transitional Federal Institutions to strengthen the key institutions of governance, including in the security sector, in their efforts to implement the Transitional Federal Charter.  The Contact Group appreciates the key role played by non-governmental organizations and civil society.  The Contact Group also welcomed the emerging Reconstruction and Development framework and agreed that a donor’s conference should be convened in due course to respond to that framework.

The Contact Group appreciates the constructive role of Kenya as chair of  IGAD, as well as the Arab League and the African Union, in promoting and supporting the peace and reconciliation process in Somalia.  The Contact Group agreed to convene its next meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Agreed in Nairobi on January 5, 2007

The International Somalia Contact Group includes the European Union (Presidency and European Commission), Italy, Kenya, Norway, Sweden, Tanzania, United Kingdom, and the United States, with the African Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), League of Arab States, and the United Nations.