EU Council Conclusions on Somalia

2748th GENERAL AFFAIRS Council meeting, Brussels, 15 September 2006

The Council adopted the following conclusions:

"1. The Council welcomes the conclusions of the second round of the Khartoum based inter-Somali dialogue, held on 2-4 September 2006, between the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFI) and the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), and the agreed communiqué as a positive step towards peace and reconciliation. The EU encourages the TFIs and the UIC to sustain the momentum of the talks, inter alia through the Joint Committee agreed in Khartoum, and enter into substantive negotiations, including on power sharing and security, on the basis of the Khartoum communiqué.

2. The Council reaffirms the commitment of the EU to assist and engage in the process. It urges the international community, particularly regional actors, to support the dialogue sponsored by the League of Arab States.

3. The Council expresses its deep concern about the continuing tensions in Somalia between the UIC and the TFIs. The Council reconfirms its support to the TFIs as the only legitimate political representation in Somalia as defined in the Transitional Federal Charter (TFC).

4. The Council urges all Somali parties to exercise maximum restraint and to take immediate steps to reduce tension. Similarly, it urges all states in the region to support the Somali transition and to avoid interfering in the situation.

5. The Council recalls the UN Security Council Resolution 733 of 1992 and the ensuing decision and presidential statements on this matter by the Security Council concerning the arms embargo on Somalia and urges all actors in and outside the region to adhere to it fully. The Council emphasizes the necessity of continuing to monitor the arms embargo closely.

6. The Council takes note of the readiness of the AU and IGAD to deploy a regional peace support mission in Somalia. Recalling the Statement by the President of the UN Security Council of 13 July 2006 and its balanced approach to the TFIs and the UIC, the Council encourages all parties to work for a broad consensus in Somalia in support of peace and reconciliation. Once consensus on the peace support mission is achieved, the deployment of such a mission would necessitate a limited adjustment of the arms embargo.

7. The Council welcomes the establishment of the International Contact Group (ICG) on Somalia in order to support the peace and reconciliation process. The Council emphasises that the Somali peace process can only become a reality with the will and effort of the Somali people itself, including through the active involvement of civil society, women's groups and the diaspora."

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