Brussels, 10/01/2007 (Agence Europe) - During his visit to the United Nations on Monday and Tuesday, Javier Solana attended the Security Council evoking the need to continue support for reconstruction in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He also spoke with the new Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, about the situation in Africa, the Middle East and the Balkans.
The EU High Representative took the view that “top priority” should be given to settling the conflict in Somalia. He said the African Union already has a very difficult task on its hands with Darfur and proposed that the UN secretary general look at the creation of a UN peacekeeping force for Somalia to replace IGASOM. Although it is not yet deployed, the force had been authorised by the Security Council in December (see AN 3832) before the Ethiopian military intervention, and American air strikes in southern Somalia, operated since Sunday from the US base in Djibouti. The strikes were condemned by Commissioner Louis Michel. In New York, Ban Ki-moon expressed concern despite the reason put forward by the American armed forces, which explained their action was to neutralise Al-Qaeda. Javier Solana pointed out that the EU hopes Somalia will have a broad-based inclusive government. As far as Darfur is concerned, the High Representative calls for talks to be reactivated with the participation of all parties concerned. He told the secretary general of the concern caused by spillover of the Darfur conflict into Chad and southern Sudan.
On the subject of the Middle East, Javier Solana stressed the need to give fresh impetus to the Quartet, during a meeting to be held on the fringe of the conference on Lebanon on 25 January in Paris. He also stressed the absolute need to settle the problem of Shebaa Farms, still occupied by Israel. The High Representative is due to go to that region, after Condoleezza Rice's trip beginning in Jerusalem on 12 January. The Secretary of State will return to Washington on 19 January after stopping off in London and Berlin. She will be in Paris on 25 January and in Brussels on 26 January for an extraordinary meeting of NATO foreign ministers. (oj)