From: barnhart@netcom.com (Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS:SOMALIA: EC calls on U.N. to provid
Date: Sun, 16 Aug 92 22:06:06 GMT
Organization: Netcom
Reply-To: barnhart@netcom.com

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

Reference: Europe, western
Title: SOMALIA: EC calls on U.N. to provide 'humanitarian corridor'


brussels, aug 12 (ips/debra percival) the european community (ec)
says it is willing to up its food aid relief programme in somalia,
but not until the united nations (un) armed guards can provide a
''humanitarian corridor''.

''there is a civil war situation in the country. we cannot
land on the territory and ngos are recruiting local militia to
protect aid convoys,'' said an ec spokesperson wednesday.

because of the volatility of the situation, food aid sent by
international donors has often remained in ports just hundreds of
metres from the quays where people were dying, said ec
spokesperson, isabelle moal ollive.

an estimated 4.5 million of somalia's seven million people are
threatened with starvation.

since the beginning of 1991, the ec has pledged 48 million
european currency units of food aid (63 million dollars) and 16
million ecus of medical aid (21 million dollars) to relieve
suffering.

le moal is unable to indicate what proportion of this aid was
blocked in ports.

'medecins sans frontieres-france', estimates that 2,000 people
are dying everyday as a result of obstacles to the delivery of
food aid at the risk of destruction by somalia's warring factions
'en route' to inland destinations.

but the humanitarian organisation also said that international
aid efforts are in any event insufficient to prevent vast numbers
from dying.

the ec has submitted an appeal to the u.n. headquarters in new
york appealing for the united nations to fully implement a
resolution adopted by the security council one month ago,
approving a u.n. military presence to protect convoys of
humanitarian aid.

and there were welcome signs wednesday that armed guards might
be soon dispatched to form a humanitarian corridor.

a press report emanating out of mogadishu and appearing in the
british daily, 'the guardian', wednesday indicated a
''breakthrough in negotiations'' between u.n. representatives and
the four main faction leaders.

the four factions grouped in the somali national alliance
(sna) have to date refused a u.n. military presence on the ground,
saying such action amounted to an occupation by an invading force.
(more/ips)

somalia: ec calls on u.n. to provide 'humanitarian corridor'(2-e)

somalia: ec (2)

but 'the guardian' reported that an agreement had been reached
between the u.n., and sna leader general mohamed farah aideed on
the deployment of 500 u.n. troops to guard mogadishu port, with
the first soldiers from pakistan likely to arrive within days.

le moal-ollive said that the brussels commission was awaiting
confirmation of the agreement.

there was also an large advertisement placed in the dutch press
by dutch non-governmental organisation 'novib', which backed ec
pressure on the u.n. security council for the dispatch of armed
guards to protect food convoys.

the advertisement was undersigned by several european ngos,
including british group oxfam.

simon stocker of 'eurostep', an organisation working for 20
european ngos, stressed that european non-governmental
organisations were not ''calling for general military intervention
in somalia'', but were rather appealing for the presence of armed
blue helmets.

there is however ''agreement among many european ngos that it
was not sufficient to send aid without a certain level of military
protection to stop piracy.'' he added.

but not all supported novib's initiative, with some
representatives from even those organisations signing the text
distancing themselves from the advertisement.

''my personal view is that military intervention is reminiscent
of the intervention in the gulf and what they (the u.n. and ec)
want to do in yugoslavia,'' stated one of oxfam-belgium's staff.

but stocker emphasised that rather than treating somalia as a
''peculiar'' case, as was the current tendency, international
bodies should realise that many countries on the african continent
could experience the same flare up in their democratic efforts.

they (the ngos) are setting a precedent for treatment of africa
as a whole, he said.

stocker added that eurostep would continue its appeal for more ec
funds for somalia and other sub-saharan countries where there was
a threat of famine, adding that the latest u.n. famine appeal for
the region was still 700 million dollars short of funds.
(end/ips/ip-pr/dp/cpg/92)


-- 
Aaron (Barnhart@netcom.com) -- posting from Evanston, Illinois