S/PV.6124 Security Council

In accordance with the understanding reached in the Council’s prior consultations, I shall take it that the Security Council agrees to extend invitations under rule 39 of its provisional rules of procedure to Mr. Lynn Pascoe, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs; Mr. Alain Le Roy, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations; and Ms. Susana Malcorra, Under-Secretary-General for Field Support. It is so decided. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations. Members of the Council have before them the report of the Secretary-General on Somalia pursuant to Security Council resolution 1863 (2009), document S/2009/210. At this meeting, the Security Council will hear briefings by Mr. Lynn Pascoe, Mr. Alain Le Roy and Ms. Susana Malcorra. I now give the floor to Mr. Pascoe. Mr. Pascoe: We meet today at a critical moment for Somalia. This is a time when the response of the international community to an embattled Government’s pleas for help could make the difference between consolidating hopeful steps towards peace and a descent once again into anarchy and hopelessness. Since our last briefing to the Council, and despite the heavy fighting of the past few days, we have witnessed in recent months new-found reasons to hope. The Somalia peace process, facilitated by the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Mr. Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, has produced a broad- based Somali Government, led by President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, which enjoys the support of large segments of the population and States members of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. More importantly, the new Government is actively reaching out to opposition groups to forge national reconciliation. Negotiation, persuasion and inclusion are at the core of the Government’s strategy to achieve a lasting political settlement in Somalia. As a result, the Somali people have the best chance in two decades to end their suffering and move towards a better and more stable future. And we, the international community, have a unique opportunity to support Somali leaders who have shown a commitment to building peace. This opportunity must not be lost. In order to assist Somalia to consolidate its still- fragile peace process and lay the foundation for sustainable peace, reconstruction and development, the Secretary-General has elaborated a political strategy aimed at, first, importing the peace process from Djibouti into Somalia; secondly, assisting the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to enhance dialogue with opposition forces and build a critical mass in support of the peace process; and, thirdly, consolidating the Transitional Federal Institutions. In this connection, the United Nations Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) and the United Nations country team paid three high-level visits to Mogadishu to hold consultations with the Government at the most senior levels. These consultations focused on the preparations for the Brussels donors’ conference and follow-up on the implementation of proposals presented in the conference of the International Contact Group on Somalia held in Brussels in February. UNPOS has also worked with the Government of Kenya in organizing training for senior civil servants. Discussions have been held in Nairobi with Government representatives on the establishment of the Joint Security Committee. We anticipate agreement on the future workings of the committee in additional missions of UNPOS to Mogadishu. For the Government to succeed in its efforts to consolidate peace, it has to deal with the continuing security challenge. The Government must be backed by a credible security force that can help it to negotiate from a position of strength and contain hard-line elements bent on undermining it. The Government must also be able to deliver security and demonstrate clear dividends of peace and national reconciliation to Somali communities. The efforts to strengthen the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and build Somalia’s security institutions respond to these needs and are part and parcel of the broader United Nations political strategy I mentioned a moment ago. Success in these efforts will give peace a chance to take root as well as create the conditions for a dramatic improvement in the delivery of humanitarian assistance and early recovery and development activities. It is in support of this political strategy and these peacemaking efforts that the Secretary-General has proposed, in his latest report to the Council (S/2009/210), a three-phased approach to addressing the ongoing security challenge: first, by supporting the establishment of Somali security institutions and strengthening AMISOM; secondly, by establishing a United Nations light footprint in Somalia; and thirdly, by deploying, at an appropriate time, a United Nations peacekeeping operation. The Brussels donors’ conference on 23 April was organized with the aim of mobilizing international support for the first phase, that is, the strengthening of Somali security institutions and AMISOM forces. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our partners — including the Government of Somalia, the African Union and the European Union — in making the conference a success. The next urgent step is to ensure the full receipt of the pledged amount of $213 million. It is expected that AMISOM will receive $160 million and Somali security institutions $66 million in both cash and in kind pledges. AMISOM continues to play a critical role in Somalia. We thank the Governments of Uganda and Burundi for their continued commitment in the country. We are also pleased with the offer of a battalion from Sierra Leone, which would raise the strength of the force to more than 5,000 troops. Let me turn now to the dangers of the current moment. On 9 May, there was an attempt to overthrow the legitimate Government and take power in Mogadishu by force. This attempted coup was, we understand, led by Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys and included Al-Shabaab fighters. While the Government has been able to repel these forces so far, the situation remains quite fragile. Media reports indicate that at least 120 people have been killed in heavy fighting around Mogadishu and that thousands of civilians have fled to other parts of Somalia. It is noteworthy that the reports indicate that the attacking forces include an increasing number of foreign fighters. In fact, an Al-Shabaab spokesman openly embraced and admitted the presence of the foreign fighters only a few days ago. The Government’s capacities, on its side, have a limit, because of a lack of resources. Through these last few days, the Government has continued with some success to negotiate a resolution to the conflict. Yesterday, religious leaders called for a ceasefire and condemned the fighting. While the ceasefire was initially accepted by all sides, it would seem that, this afternoon, Al-Shabaab resumed attacks. It is not clear whether the attacking forces are as cohesive as they were prior to the call for ceasefire from the religious leaders. A point of interest in the report is that the trained TFG forces seem to have constituted the backbone of the Government’s defence. This is an encouraging sign of the emergence of a nascent national force. This latest surge in violence is clearly a response to the Government’s strategy to reach out and build a critical mass in support of peace. As the Government gains success in its strategy of negotiation, persuasion and inclusion, radical elements within the opposition feel threatened and increase the level of violence. International support for the Government of President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed is particularly crucial now. The success of the Brussels conference convened by the Secretary-General gives ground for hope in this regard. The imperative now is, as I said, to ensure that the assistance reaches President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed’s Government and AMISOM quickly in order to limit the ability of hardliners to threaten once again the ongoing efforts to build a Somali State. Such practical support can help the Government strengthen its ability to address the security challenge, become more cohesive, carry out reconstruction and development planning, and generate and collect revenue. The Government is committed to moving forward and we should give it credit for the progress it has made in three short months. The Government has formulated a budget linked to the payment of security forces, public investment and civil service wages. It is collecting revenue from Mogadishu port and airport. It has worked with UNPOS and members of the international community to establish the Joint Security Committee in Mogadishu, to carry out a security sector assessment, and to develop a security sector framework. Establishing effective governance inside Somalia is one of the keys to bringing law and order to the waters off its coast. A strong Somali State would not only curb the problem of piracy in the short term, but would also address the underlying long-term social and economic causes. It is important to understand that piracy is turning into a business that, if left unchecked, will create localized criminal economies with leaders increasingly able to resist efforts to integrate them into a broader national structure. That having been said, the efforts of the international maritime forces are having a significant effect. As a result of these operations, the cost to pirates of their actions is steadily increasing as they have to travel further to capture ships. I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the contributions being made by the various naval forces to deal with this problem. Their operations are an integral part of a wider effort that includes assisting local communities to undertake alternative forms of employment, tracking the flow of money to identify those benefiting from piracy, prosecuting those responsible, and creating a coastal security force. We welcome the establishment of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia. Following the working group meeting of the Contact Group held in Cairo on 16 and 17 March, the United Nations was requested by the Contact Group to propose a number of counter-piracy initiatives on land. These initiatives will be presented to the next Contact Group meeting in May. In order to ensure greater coherence between the different components in response to piracy, a coordination mechanism is being established under the leadership of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General. This architecture brings together efforts to address the piracy challenge on the high seas, on land, in the region and internationally. In conclusion, it is evident that the only lasting solution for Somalia will be one that is created and led by the Somalis themselves. The Government’s efforts at building a consensus for reconciliation are slowly gaining ground, despite the serious challenge by well- funded radicals. The international community must make a vital investment at this time to nurture the fragile peace process, help the Government establish its authority throughout the country and build its security and rule of law institutions. Now is not the time to analyse and discuss, but to provide concrete help while it can still make a difference. We must continue to engage in a credible and practical manner. We cannot afford to miss this opportunity to bring stability to that long-troubled country and its people. The consequences of inaction would be borne not only by Somalis, but by the region and the world at large.

I thank Mr. Pascoe for his briefing. I now give the floor to Mr. Le Roy.

The report of the Secretary-General (S/2009/210) was prepared at the Security Council’s request pursuant to resolution 1863 (2009), in which it requested the Secretary-General to prepare recommendations on the possibility of establishing a United Nations peacekeeping operation in Somalia. At the outset, I should like to echo Under- Secretary-General Pascoe by recalling that today’s meeting is taking place in a very alarming security context in Mogadishu. It is clear that we are at a watershed moment for Somalia and the Transitional Federal Government (TFG). The international community must now firmly support the TFG and leave no stone unturned in preventing extremist elements from frustrating this unique opportunity to stabilize Somalia. The peace process remains extremely fragile. Progress generated by the Djibouti peace process requires the ongoing support of the international community. At the same time, we must ensure that the role of the international community is accepted by Somalis and that it not exacerbate tensions on the ground. It is in that spirit that the Secretary-General’s report offers a holistic approach that takes into account all the United Nations strategic objectives in Somalia, including the political aspect, security, development and the distribution of humanitarian assistance. The report notes the Security Council’s expression of intent, as formulated in paragraph 4 of resolution 1863 (2009), to establish a United Nations peacekeeping operation in Somalia, and seeks to define a cautious and carefully calibrated approach to that end. In that respect, the report takes the volatile security situation into account and attempts to craft a strategy tailored to the new risks and opportunities in the field. (spoke in English) As indicated by Under-Secretary-General Pascoe, the report recommends a three-phase incremental approach. In the first phase, the United Nations would maintain its current engagement, approved in resolution 1863 (2009). This consists of support for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to enable it to fulfil its core functions of providing security for TFG personnel, key infrastructure and strategic installations, and assistance in building Somalia’s security institutions. Under-Secretary- General Malcorra will shortly provide further details on that very important point. This would be pursued alongside support for the political process and the humanitarian and recovery activities of the United Nations country team. Progress in the implementation of the first phase would be assessed after three to four months. If security conditions permit, United Nations engagement would then be extended to the second phase, which would entail adding a light United Nations footprint in Mogadishu consisting of elements from the United Nations Political Office for Somalia, the Department of Field Support and the United Nations country team, which would continue to pursue the strategic objectives laid out in the first phase. These two phases would form transitional steps, allowing the United Nations to implement the full support package to AMISOM, assess the progress of the efforts of the TFG to build security and develop its own security institutions, and, more importantly, gauge the acceptability of a United Nations presence in Mogadishu. The second phase, like the first, would be assessed three to four months after the commencement of its implementation. Depending on progress, the Security Council would then review the United Nations role and decide whether conditions are conducive to a shift to the final phase, in which a United Nations peacekeeping operation could be established to take over from AMISOM. That operation could be authorized and deployed along the lines set out in the Secretary-General’s present and previous reports. It is important to emphasize that this incremental approach is a flexible strategy. While an indicative timescale for review of progress is appropriate, movement from one phase to another should be based on the evolution of prevailing conditions, and not on a rigid timetable. Throughout all three phases, it will be important to maintain contingency plans for continuing United Nations engagement on the political and humanitarian fronts in case of a degeneration in the security situation that makes it untenable to establish and retain an international presence in Mogadishu. At the same time, we should be ready to move quickly to take advantage of security improvements should they occur. In that regard, I recall to the Council the advice of the Secretary-General that, while the deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping operation remains our goal, such an operation should be deployed only after the fulfilment of certain basic preconditions for success. Important benchmarks will include the implementation of a credible ceasefire, consent to the deployment by all the major Somali actors on the ground, and adequate pledges of troops and required military capacities by Member States. It remains the assessment of the Secretary-General that the deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping operation at this stage, in the absence of those conditions, would be a high-risk operation and that an ill-timed mission would fail. Inserting a United Nations peacekeeping operation under the current conditions would attract resistance, which could detract from the political process. As Council members are aware, some key Somali political players, as well as religious and clan elders, are deeply divided over the issue of a United Nations peacekeeping operation. As such, deploying a peacekeeping operation under the current circumstances could undermine ongoing efforts at political reconciliation. It would also risk attacks against peacekeepers, which could draw the United Nations force into the conflict. In that regard, it is important to bear in mind lessons from previous United Nations peacekeeping experiences in Somalia and ensure that the Organization decides on the appropriate engagement this time. The Secretary-General’s report argues for the prudent approach I have outlined. At the same time, it acknowledges that the peace process is at a fluid stage and that all options must remain on the table. The Secretariat has continued to engage possible troop contributors in preparation for an eventual United Nations peacekeeping operation. On 19 February 2009, as set out in the report, the Office of Military Affairs, which is in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), sent notes verbales to 60 Member States to ascertain if they would be willing to contribute troops, should the Security Council decide to establish a peacekeeping operation for Somalia. To date, 14 Member States have responded. Ten of the responses were negative. However, on 27 April, DPKO received an offer from Bangladesh indicating its willingness to contribute naval and air force assets. Bangladesh noted that it would require United Nations assistance to ensure that its contingents received the necessary equipment to enable their deployment. Since the publication of the Secretary-General’s report, DPKO has also received verbal indications from Indonesia that it would be ready to provide troops and to take a lead role in a United Nations peacekeeping operation in Somalia. Pakistan has also indicated willingness to provide maritime assets, while Uruguay has offered to contribute military observers. We are now ascertaining the details of those offers as part of our ongoing contingency planning for the possible eventual establishment of a United Nations peacekeeping operation under the right conditions. As has been said, the path to durable security in Somalia lies in the hands of Somalis themselves. The central aspect of the strategy set out in the Secretary- General’s report is the building of the Somali National Security Force and a police force that are capable of taking over responsibility for security in the country. In that regard, we of course encourage Council members to continue to lend their support to the Government in developing security institutions, in line with a clear plan and in the framework of the rule of law. We all hope that, in the coming weeks, the Government will expedite its preparation of a strategic plan for the building of national security forces. That would enable bilateral partners to determine the nature of assistance required and what they can best contribute in a coordinated way. The United Nations has been providing expertise to that process through the Joint Security Committee. We are also working with AMISOM to build on the existing effort of the United Nations Development Programme to train the Somali police. (spoke in French) In the coming weeks, the United Nations will continue to contribute to that process by providing experts and deploying its good offices. That will, of course, be done under the leadership of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General. We hope that the international community will also provide its support and effectively coordinate its efforts through the Joint Security Committee in order to support the Government’s own efforts. Of course, also in the coming weeks, we will continue to closely monitor the situation and regularly inform the Council of all ongoing efforts, including as regards contingency planning for a United Nations peacekeeping operation.

I thank Mr. Le Roy for his briefing. I now give the floor to Ms. Susana Malcorra. Ms. Malcorra: I appreciate this opportunity to brief the Security Council on the steps being taken on the support side to strengthen the security institutions of Somalia and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). Resolution 1863 (2009) established a strategy of support for security in Mogadishu, integrating voluntary contributions through a United Nations trust fund, bilateral donor support for AMISOM and Somali forces, and United Nations-funded logistical support for AMISOM. Each is equally critical if we are to succeed in establishing the peace and security in Somalia necessary to pursue stable governance and lasting recovery efforts. The contributions pledged at the 23 April donors’ conference were very positive — more than $200 million was pledged. They are expected to support the significant requirements identified to strengthen AMISOM and to develop Somali security institutions. While the success of the donors’ conference highlights the level of international commitment to security in Somalia, the disparate funding mechanisms and approaches represent a coordination challenge. Measures must be taken to ensure that we arrive at an alignment of views to address gaps and avoid potential areas of duplication. Work is being done on that as we speak. The gains achieved by Somali leaders and the international community to build peace must not be lost. The current situation on the ground provides evidence that Somalia’s nascent and yet-fragile peace process must be protected. Our window for action is small. The disbursement of donor pledges must be expedited. There are still a number of critical requirements to meeting the security challenges. Those include the acquisition and maintenance of military equipment for AMISOM, such are armoured personnel carriers and patrol boats. The commitment of the African Union (AU) to bringing the AMISOM force up to its full mandated strength of 8,000 troops must be supported to ensure the protection of key installations in Mogadishu, including the airport, seaport and other strategic areas. Sierra Leone pledged a full battalion this week. That is a critical pledge. All measures must be taken to hasten its deployment and ensure its full capacities. With regard to AMISOM, the complementary strategies of United Nations-funded logistics and donor support for other requirements are both essential if we are to establish conditions for AMISOM to source the additional troops and equipment it needs to reach its mandated strength and operate effectively. The African Union is mapping all donor trust fund and in-kind contributions to ensure appropriate coordination and address gaps and possible areas of duplication. Although progress has been hampered by the volatile and unpredictable security situation in Mogadishu — which has seen a rise in insurgent attacks, which are becoming more sophisticated, coordinated and lethal — key milestones have been achieved. Let me now speak about some of them. On 22 April, essential expendable assets were delivered to AMISOM in Mogadishu. This delivery, the first one the United Nations has made, included United Nations supplies of security equipment and field defence storage, pharmaceuticals and other essential medical supplies. Specialized support equipment, one airfield firefighting truck, engineering vehicles, information and communications equipment and related infrastructure were delivered to Entebbe in April for the initial training of AMISOM troops before being delivered to Mogadishu. These training programmes are in progress and are scheduled to be concluded by the end of this month. With that, all equipment and trained troops will be deployed into Mogadishu to take full advantage of this additional support. Separately, following the liquidation of the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea, the United Nations-owned equipment was deployed into Mogadishu by the end of this past March. Among other things, the equipment included 400 prefabricated accommodation and ablution units, which are very important for the AMISOM troops. Action is under way to establish a maintenance arrangement and assistance in construction. A comprehensive funding proposal for 2009 and 2010, based on the current Security Council resolution and United Nations standards of support and operational requirements, has been submitted for comptroller review and should be before the General Assembly shortly. The United Nations support to AMISOM will require unprecedented action in ensuring effectiveness and accountability, with our significant United Nations presence in the theatre of operations and with multiple ways to channel contributions. The core team of the United Nations Support Office has been established, recruitment of the staff is ongoing, and the initial team is already deployed in Nairobi and working closely with the United Nations Political Office for Somalia, AMISOM and the AU in Addis Ababa. Resolution 1863 (2009) requires that a memorandum of understanding be signed with the AU and AMISOM to ensure that support provided through the United Nations is used transparently and effectively for the intended purposes. This includes payments and other support provided through the United Nations trust fund. The draft memorandum of understanding has been finalized and is being sent this week to the African Union for its final approval. Assistance arrangements are also being negotiated with a Member State for the United Nations to fund a continuation of the existing AMISOM life-support services through a vendor until the United Nations completes its own procurement processes. All procurement processes are launched, with proposals starting to arrive this week. A small passenger jet is expected to be deployed in Nairobi later this month. As well as providing for United Nations passenger movement in support of AMISOM, this jet is critical to providing standing medical evacuation capacity, which AMISOM lacks today. To advance the construction of the AMISOM headquarters and level 2 hospital, current greenfield sites in Mogadishu are being assessed. We are also undertaking the construction of a small infrastructure at the airport to have minimal accommodations for an initial footprint deployment. Lastly, in direct response to the 9 May insurgent attack in close proximity to the AMISOM troops who are protecting Villa Somalia, the seat of the presidency, the Department of Field Support is deploying trauma kits and airfield lighting equipment to enable AMISOM to conduct 24-hour operations at Mogadishu and to improve immediate casualty treatment. Arrangements are also under way to provide AMISOM with a strategic reserve of rations to mitigate any threat to the AMISOM supply chain. In conclusion, we have a unique opportunity to support this process. Our partnership with the AU is key to ensuring streamlined support among all the stakeholders involved. One major challenge stems from the need to deliver this level of support within the standards of oversight traditionally associated with a United Nations peacekeeping operation of an analogous size. Such a level of oversight calls for an international United Nations footprint on the ground in Somalia, which is at present precluded by the current security situation. Until the United Nations support office for AMISOM can establish a small footprint in Mogadishu, interim oversight mechanisms will be put in place, using United Nations, AU and contractual personnel in order to achieve our core objectives. To conclude, I must tell you, Sir, that I have to go to the Fifth Committee to present the overall peacekeeping budget, so I will be leaving shortly and will return a little later.

I thank Ms. Malcorra for her briefing. I now give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Abdullahi Omaar, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia.

Allow me to take this opportunity to thank, first and foremost, the Security Council, the Secretary-General and the United Nations as a whole for organizing the donors’ conference in Brussels on 23 April, and the international community and the donor organizations for the pledges and commitments that were made and fulfilled at that event. Secondly, allow me to also take the opportunity to thank the Secretary-General for the report (S/2009/210) that is before us today. We welcome this report. We believe that it outlines in a clear format the basic structure and partnership between the Somali Government and the international community for the peace and stability of Somalia, which are the desire and the goal that have been sought for the past 20 years. If I may return to that, I think this is the first occasion upon which the international community and Somalia have established an effective basis for stabilizing Somalia and for establishing the rule of law. The rule of law was the basis of the agreement that was reached in Djibouti, and the central parameter and the backbone of that policy is peace. This is what we have sought. It was the basis on which the President was elected, the cabinet named and the ministers authorized. I am pleased to confirm that the Somali people in all parts of the country, be it in the North, in Central Somalia or in the South, have not only welcomed, but in essence have seen this as what they have lacked and have been looking for. We therefore welcome the report and we are fully ready, willing and able to work with the Secretary- General, the United Nations and its agencies to implement these proposals for the empowerment of the Somali security forces, the capacity-building of the institutions of governance and the expanded ability of the African Union Mission in Somalia. We are committed and ready to move ahead. I would, on this occasion, however, like to take a moment to speak on current events, as matters are developing on the ground. I personally left Mogadishu on Friday afternoon, and these events started on Wednesday evening. The Government and the President, as confirmed by the council of religious elders, have been ready, are ready and will be ready for a ceasefire and negotiations to implement peace. We have never missed any opportunity to encourage any party, whether in the country or outside, not to remain outside the process or unengaged by us. With regard to the current leadership of the opposition, Hizbul Islam and Mr. Hassan Dahir Aweys, we have sought every opportunity, including in the past three days, to make personal contact with him to find out what it will take to stop the bloodshed. That is our only requirement: stop the bloodshed and let us talk. Our door is open. We are not setting preconditions. Our difficulty, throughout these past three months, has been that we cannot get an answer. Since the election of the President on 30 January, we have sought out Mr. Aweys and Hizbul Islam. We have gone to every part of the globe, and we have offered our table and our hand for that purpose. But if we cannot get a response, we are left in silence. With all that we see happening today in Mogadishu — with all the bombings and firefights that are going on — the only reply that we have received has been this past week. Yet, our commitment is the commitment that we made to the international community, the Secretary- General and the Security Council, that we support the rule of law, the re-establishment of the State institutions, good-neighbourliness with our neighbouring countries in the subregion, respect for human rights, structured and implemented by the organs of the State, and respect for all faiths, which is the basis of sharia law. Sharia respects every faith and there is no compulsion in faith. That is the way that we have implemented it. So we remain committed to that programme, and we will not be dislodged. The issue, though, remains what answer can we expect and what answer can the world expect from the opposition. We have sought to engage at every opportunity, but we have no clarity either on their requirements locally or on their proposals internationally. The Somali people, whom I represent here today, are not willing to give up or to miss the opportunity that is here today. We will do whatever needs to be done. We ask for the Council’s assistance, as it has pledged to give us the resources, the support and the partnership that we previously enjoyed, so that the turmoil in Somalia, both on land and in international waters, can be addressed and we can contribute to resolving the problems offshore in the high seas.

I thank Foreign Minister Omaar of Somalia for his statement. I now give the floor to the representative of the Czech Republic.

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union (EU). The candidate countries Turkey, Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; the countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia; as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Armenia and Georgia align themselves with this statement. First of all, I would like to express our appreciation for having been invited to participate in today’s meeting on behalf of the European Union. I would also like to thank Under-Secretaries-General Malcorra, Pascoe and Le Roy for their respective briefings, and extend my gratitude to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Somalia for his contribution to today’s debate. The EU acknowledges the recommendations of the Secretary-General contained in his report (S/2009/210). Given the current security conditions, we believe that the proposed phased approach of continued support for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the strengthening of Somali security institutions is the best available option. The European Union takes note that, after the two first phases, the Secretary-General recommends that the Security Council decide whether the conditions set out in his report and the timing are conducive to a shift to the final phase, in which a United Nations peacekeeping operation could be established to take over from AMISOM. Despite the positive developments at the political level and the powerful political momentum created by the Djibouti peace process, the overall security situation on the ground remains extremely volatile, as demonstrated by the recent outburst of fighting in Mogadishu. In that context, the EU welcomes the continued efforts of President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed to reach out to those groups that remain opposed to the Djibouti process. The humanitarian situation, the continued plight of the internally displaced persons and the dramatic increase in pirate attacks off the Somalia coast and on the international high seas are still of great concern. The European Union welcomes the pledges made during the International Conference in Support of the Somali Security Institutions and the African Union Mission in Somalia, which was held in Brussels on 22 and 23 April 2009, under the joint auspices of the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union and the League of Arab States. The pledges made at that conference amounted to €164 million — both for AMISOM needs not covered by the United Nations logistical support package and to support the Somali transitional security institutions — of which the European Commission alone pledged more than €80 million. That testifies to the strong commitment of the European Union to working with the international community to help the new Somali Transitional Federal Government to bring about peace and stability. The European Union stresses that building up the Somali security and police forces is vital to the country’s stability. The European Union also calls on the international community to step up its support for Somali institutions in order to take on challenges and opportunities to further consolidate reconciliation, restore peace and rebuild the country. The European Union remains committed to engaging in such support. In Brussels, the international community also highlighted the need to continue to address the issue of piracy, inter alia, through an international naval presence, emphasizing that land-based solutions to the root causes of piracy must be urgently addressed. The European Union would also like to express its gratitude to AMISOM troop-contributing countries for their contributions to stabilizing the situation in Mogadishu, given the difficult operating environment. It is also important to continue to support AMISOM through the United Nations logistical support package, through the United Nations trust funds and bilaterally, with a coordinated approach. In addition, the European Union and its member States are supporting AMISOM in the training of the Somali National Security Force and Somali police. With regard to support for AMISOM, the European Commission has so far committed a total of €40 million. Moreover, several EU member States have offered financial, material and logistical assistance. The EU’s priority is to support good governance, human rights and the rule of law. At the Brussels pledging conference, the European Commission announced that it planned to allocate more than €215 million to those areas for the period 2008-2013. The European Union also provides humanitarian emergency relief and other forms of assistance to ease the suffering of the Somali people. The European Union is contributing to international efforts to curb piracy off the Somali coast and in the Gulf of Aden. The EU is ready to continue, through the deployment of the maritime military mission Atalanta, to protect United Nations vessels delivering the logistical support package to AMISOM and shipments of humanitarian relief, as well as surveillance and patrolling in maritime areas. At the same time, the EU is aware of and committed to helping to meet the need to address the root causes of piracy through sustainable development and the full restoration of the rule of law in Somalia. In conclusion, I wish to assure the Council that the European Union, together with other members of the international community, stands ready to continue assisting Somalia. However, Somalia must do its part. The immediate goal is to develop its own National Security Force and civilian police force. A long-term security strategy is a precondition for future development. The European Union welcomes the announcement by President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed in Brussels that the issue of security is one of his Government’s highest priorities. Any meaningful progress can be based only on Somalia’s ownership of and responsibility for its implementation.

There are no further speakers inscribed on my list. In accordance with the understanding reached in the Council’s prior consultations, I now invite Council members to informal consultations to continue our discussion of the subject.