From: barnhart@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS:SOMALIA: Immediate political talks urged
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 03:09:26 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Reference: North America
Title: SOMALIA: Immediate political talks urged


washington, dec 8 (ips/jim lobe) -- as u.s. troops prepared to
take over installations in and around mogadishu tuesday night, a
major african-american foreign policy group warned that the
mission will serve little purpose unless urgent efforts are made
to convene a national peace conference for all somali leaders.

''if u.s.-led u.n. forces simply go in to create corridors to
secure humanitarian relief and does nothing more than that, we
will have done nothing more than stay the disaster,'' transafrica
director randall robinson told reporters.

''hostilities will only reignite after the departure (of the
u.s. troops,'' he said.

the u.s. troops should leave only ''when (a national peace
conference) is well underway,'' he said, adding that ''this is not
the kind of thing you can put a calendar on.''

robinson was accompanied tuesday by iman, the internationally
acclaimed somali model who also warned that the u.s. military
intervention ''is not alone enough''.

she added that a peace conference should take place inside
somalia while u.s. troops can insure security, and suggested that
algerian diplomat mohammed sahnoun and former u.s. president jimmy
carter participate in the peace-making effort.

sahnoun was forced to resign as u.n. secretary-general boutros
boutros-ghali's special representative to somalia six weeks ago
after he criticised the world body's handling of the crisis in the
east african country where at least 300,000 people are believed to
have starved to death this year.

''mr. sahnoun got the respect and trust of clan elders and non-
governmental organisations (ngos) in somalia,'' said iman, who
last visited her homeland in september.

the remarks by both iman and robinson, who is considered close
to some of president-elect bill clinton's foreign policy advisers,
reflect rising concern about the u.s. mission in somalia which is
expected to number about 28,000 troops.

when the decision to send in the troops was announced by bush
last week, his top aides told reporters they hoped to be able to
withdraw u.s. forces in favour of a u.n. peacekeeping force by
jan. 20, the date of clinton's inauguration. (more/ips)

somalia: immediate political talks urged(2-e)

somalia: immediate political (2)

they also defined the mission as strictly limited to securing
port facilities, airfields, key highways, and regional
distribution centres in the southwestern part of the country so
that food and other relief supplies can be safely transported to
hundreds of thousands of starving somalis.

at a briefing monday, five experts associated with the
brookings institution, a mainstream policy thinktank here, said
the bush administration had not given sufficient consideration to
the political ramifications of the u.s. intervention.

terrence lyons, a senior research analyst at brookings, said it
would be ''highly irresponsible'' if u.s. troops left without
''erecting structures'' that would move somalia to lasting peace.

the problems of somalia, said larry minear, an official at the
refugee policy group who last week attended u.n.-sponsored talks
between somali clan leaders and ngos in addis ababa, ''will resist
'quick fixes'.''

''i have the impression that the military considerations have
outrun the political and humanitarian ones,'' he added.

particularly problematic, according to minear and others at
brookings, is the presence of so many weapons in the hands of
teenagers and others associated with ''warlords'' and gangs in
southern somalia.

many analysts here believe these are likely to be hidden while
the u.s. forces are on the ground only to reappear after their
withdrawal. ''the weapons need to be removed from circulation,''
said minear.

u.s. officials have been ambiguous about whether their mission
extends to the disarmament of combatants.

they say the troops will be prepared to take ''preemptive
action'' against any force threatening their security and may even
move to disarm heavy weapons used by the various militias. white
house spokesperson marlin fitzwater said monday disarmament was
''not a principal objective.''

robinson also stressed tuesday the importance of disarming
violent groups, saying that even if a political settlement is
reached among the various somali factions, ''it won't be worth
much if all these u.s. and soviet arms are still around''.

for now, he said, the most important priority is to ''mobilise
global opinion'' in favour of a peace conference in which somalis
will decide the future of their country.

robinson stressed that washington has a special responsibility
in this regard because of its strong backing with arms and money
of siad barre, the dictator who ran the country for 21 years
before his ouster in jan. 1991.

''we owe the somalis an opportunity to restore stability to
their society,'' he said. (end/ips/jl/yjc/92)
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