KENYA: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promises Somalia's president more aid and warns Eritrea against interfering in the Horn of Africa country

Record ID: 361497

  • Title: KENYA: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promises Somalia's president more aid and warns Eritrea against interfering in the Horn of Africa country
  • Date: 7th August 2009
  • Summary: NAIROBI, KENYA (AUGUST 6, 2009) (REUTERS) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON AND SOMALI PRESIDENT SHEIKH SHARIF AHMED WALKING INTO CONFERENCE HALL (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON, SAYING: "The United States pledges our continued support for President Sheikh Sharif's government and we have joined IGAD - the Intergovernmental Authority o
  • Embargoed: 22nd August 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVAE6CC06RL646DOPSKX7OS7445Y
  • Story Text: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged strong support for Somalia's fragile government on Thursday (August 6) and vowed to take action against Eritrea if it did not stop its "unacceptable" interference in the country.
    Clinton held talks in Kenya with Somali President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, whose administration is battling hardline Islamist militants including the al Shabaab insurgent group.
    "The United States pledges our continued support for President Sheikh Sharif's government and we have joined IGAD - the Intergovernmental Authority on Development - the Arab league, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and the African Union in endorsing the Somali-led Djibouti peace process," she said at a joint news conference alongside Ahmed.
    Western security agencies say Somalia is a haven for extremists plotting attacks in the region and beyond and Washington believes al Shabaab is al Qaeda's proxy in Somalia.
    Clinton said the presence of "terrorist elements" in the turbulent country posed a threat to Africa and beyond.
    "If al Shabaab were to obtain a haven in Somalia which could then attract al Qaeda and other terrorist actors, it would be a threat to the United States," said Clinton.
    Clinton also warned neighbouring Eritrea not to interfere in Somali affairs and said it should "cease and desist" its support for al Shabaab.
    "(We are) Making it very clear that their actions are unacceptable, there interference with the rights of the Somali people to determine their own future are the height of misplaced efforts and funding and we intend to take action if they do not cease," she said.
    Ahmed said Eritrea still had an opportunity to "correct" its behaviour but Eritrea routinely denies allegations of supporting rebels in Somalia.
    The United States has offered military aid to Ahmed's administration in recent months, including more than 40 tonnes of weapons and ammunition, as it fights al Shabaab. Clinton said Washington had given 150 million USD to Somalia over the past two years, and would provide additional funds.
    But the Obama administration has ruled out sending U.S. forces to help Ahmed's government fight the insurgents.
    The last U.S. involvement in Somalia -- during the presidency of Clinton's husband Bill Clinton -- ended in shambles. Eighteen U.S. soldiers were killed in a battle in Mogadishu in October 1993, marking the beginning of the eventual withdrawal of a U.S.-U.N. peacekeeping force from Somalia.
    Clinton said Washington supported the African Union peacekeeping force deployed in the Somali capital, and that it saw Ahmed's government as the best hope for some time for a return to stability and the possibility of progress.
    Ahmed was elected in Djibouti in January under a U.N.-brokered process that was Somalia's 15th attempt to set up a central government since 1991.
    Her talks with Sharif also covered a rise in piracy in Somalia's coastal waters -- vital shipping lanes linking Asia and Europe. The area has become a focus of pirates who have made off with countless millions of dollars in ransom from hijacking vessels, including U.S.-flagged ships.
    Pirates are expected to step up attacks on ships off Somalia's coast in the coming months as the end of the monsoon season brings better weather.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register