Brussels, 10/10/2007 (Agence Europe) - In a declaration on 9 October on behalf of the European Union, the EU Council presidency welcomes the report on the findings from the UN Humanitarian Assessment Mission to the Somali region of Ethiopia but notes with concern the report's conclusion that humanitarian conditions within the conflict areas have deteriorated substantially over the past few months. The EU commends the Ethiopian government for its reaction to the report, and calls upon it to follow up all recommendations of the mission, including actions to protect civilians in conflict, and welcomes its stated willingness to ensure that the humanitarian needs of the population in the Somali region of Ethiopia are properly addressed. The humanitarian situation is causing growing concern in the region where 1.8 million people could be affected by the crisis unless measures are rapidly taken to address the situation, the United Nations states. “We shall be seeing the development of a major crisis in the coming month unless the trade and exportation of cattle, humanitarian and commercial food distribution, and emergency healthcare are resumed, and public service providers and humanitarian workers can again go to the region”, warned Paul Hebert, Director of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Ethiopia, in a report published on 5 October. Mr Hebert was at the head of a mission in the Somali region between 30 August and 5 September. (ol)