From: barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us (Aaron Barnhart)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: IPS: SOMALIA: Italian offer to mediate i
Date: 21 Aug 92 22:54:26 GMT
Organization: Gagme Public Access UNIX, Chicago, Illinois.
Originator: barnhart@gagme

Title: SOMALIA: Italian offer to mediate in peace talks ignored


rome, aug 18 (ips/paddy agnew) -- up to late tuesday, italy had
not received any response to its offer made over the weekend to
mediate between the warring factions in famine stricken somalia.

italian foreign minister emilio colombo, mindful of italy's
historical obligations to a country it ruled from 1889 to 1960,
this week offered to either visit mogadishu, the somali capital,
himself or send an envoy to promote dialogue between the warring
clans in somalia.

colombo said that such a visit might not only help promote a
peace process in the war-torn country but, in the short term, it
would also serve to check whether the various warring factions
were willing to guarantee security for immediate italian and other
humanitarian aid.

the foreign minister also confirmed that italy had pledged 35
million dollars worth of emergency aid supplies of food and
medicine for the east african nation, where more than one million
people are now threatened with starvation.

a spokesperson for the italian foreign office on tuesday
confirmed that there had been no specific response from any of the
armed factions in somalia to the italian offer of mediation.

somalia has been caught in the grip of a chaotic and vicious
civil war for most of the last 19 months with the various clans --
which united to drive out dictator mohammed siad barre -- having
since turned against one another in an orgy of ethnic hatred.

the problems of widespread civic disorder have been greatly
exacerbated by months of drought which have provoked a famine that
is reportedly claiming hundreds of lives every day.

as many as 1.5 million somalis could die from starvation in a
famine which international relief agency workers claim to be worse
than that which affected ethiopia in the mid-'80s.

somalia's current plight finally attracted world attention only
in recent weeks, which the war in the former yugoslav republic of
bosnia-herzegovina having previously held centre stage.

from thursday though, the united states will begin a massive food
airlift as part of a global effort which also sees france and
italy involved in an attempt to avert the threat of mass
starvation.

the u.s. relief effort, which will be run in cooperation with
united nations relief agencies, will see 145,000 tonnes of food
pledged by president george bush flown into somalia, mainly from
neighbouring kenya. france, too, is planning to send in 200 tonnes
of supplies from djibouti.(more/ips)

somalia: italian offer to mediate in peace talks ignored(2-e)

somalia: italian (2)

relief work, however, has been hampered by armed factions who
have taken advantage of a current lull in fighting to sequester
and loot supplies.

for this reason, the united nations last thursday approved a
resolution allowing for u.n. troops to go somalia to protect the
humanitarian aid. five hundred u.n. troops from pakistan will
arrive shortly in the somali capital with the specific task of
guarding the docks and airport from marauding gangs.

u.n. special envoy mohamed sahnoun said on monday that the u.n.
troops would be entitled to shoot in self-defence if they came
under attack.

in the meantime, u.n. secretary-general boutros boutros-ghali
will this week in new york consider the findings of a nine-day
tour of inspection by u.n. experts carried out with a view to
outlining future relief and security needs.

italy's offer to mediate in the present crisis may have partly
been a response to criticism from somali strongman general
mohammed farah aideed who last weekend in an italian newspaper
interview accused italy of not doing enough to help its former
colony.

italy first colonised somalia in 1889, lost control of the
country during world war two, before regaining administrative
power in 1950. ten years later, the former italian somaliland
united with the ex-british somaliland to form an independent
somalia.

the collapse of the siad barre regime in january, 1991, also
proved a serious embarrassment for italy which had not only made
somalia a major recipient of foreign aid but had also promoted and
protected barre, looking on him as a focal point of its foreign
policy in africa. (end/ips/ip/pa/cpg/92)


-- 
Aaron (Barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us) -- posting from Evanston, Illinois