Moussa rules out deployment of Arab peacekeepers in Somalia

Moussa rules out deployment of Arab peacekeepers in Somalia
(Medeshi) 11 aug, 2008
CAIRO, Aug 10 (KUNA) -- Secretary of the Arab League Amr Moussa ruled out here on Sunday the possibility of deploying Arab peacekeeping forces in Somalia without consensus among all political forces in the Arab country."Reconciliation among all national forces in Somalia is a prerequisite for contribution by willing parties to reconstruction of Somalia, Moussa asserted, " Moussa said in a press release following his meeting with visiting Chairman of Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) Sharif Sheikh Ahmad.Sheikh Mohammad, who leads an ARS delegation, is pushing for forming an Arab peacekeeping force to be a nucleus for a multi-national force and a replacement of the Ethiopian forces in his country.
"The ongoing conflict in Somalia discourages the Arab countries and the Arab League from playing a more active role there," Moussa pointed out."The Arab League is ready to give hand to the Somalis impartially. But the problem of Somalia can only be solved by the Somalis themselves."Stability is a prerequisite of reconstruction of Somalia," Moussa added.
The ARS is an organization created in September 2007 when Somali Islamists and opposition leaders meeting in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea, have joined forces to fight the occupation of Somalia by Ethiopian and Transitional Federal Government forces. (end) rg.gb.KUNA 101650 Aug 08NNNN