02 January 2007 - (PANA) - Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has called on the African Union and the United Nations to urgently send a peacekeeping force to Somalia following the defeat of extremists who had threatened to attack his country."
Dependable peace has not yet been achieved in Somalia," Meles told the Ethiopian parliament Tuesday as he reported the victory of the Ethiopian Defence Forces over the extremist forces that sought to topple the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia and impose a Taliban style of administration.
After breaking the backbone of the extremist forces, Meles said, Ethiopian troops would be pulled out of Somalia within weeks and return home to join their compatriots in the struggle against poverty.
"This, however, does not mean we are going to stop mopping up remnants of extremist forces here and there or abandon the stabilisation efforts being undertaken by the people of Somalia," he added.

Vacuum

Before the two-week war started, Ethiopia had been training Somalia's newly recruited army and police force.
Most likely Ethiopian instructors will stay a bit long in the country after testing the new soldiers in real action.
According to Meles, Ethiopian troops have created a situation that is conducive for bringing about peace in Somalia.
"We cannot transform ourselves into a peacekeeping force. We believe the international community understands our position and will urgently deploy peacekeepers there in order to avoid creating a vacuum when our forces withdraw," he said.
The Prime Minister also appealed to the international community to provide humanitarian assistance that is commensurate with the needs of the Somali people.
Somalia has gone through 16 consecutive years of instability as rival warlords instigated fighting among different clans.
The country's transitional government, set up in October 2004, has not been able to function effectively after being blocked out of the capital, Mogadishu, by the warlords and until recently, by the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC).

Terror

With support of Islamic fundamentalists from outside Somalia, the UIC spread terror across the country in its bid to introduce a Taliban- style of government, but it failed to enter Baidoa city, that has been the temporary seat of the TFG.
"The TFG and the people of Somalia have a decisive role to play in order to ensure peace in their country. No external force can ensure peace on their behalf," said Meles.
He said the TFG needs all support from peace-loving countries in order to carry out its programme of stopping the resurgence of warlords and conduct an all-inclusive dialogue among the Somali people on the basis of the Transitional Federal Charter.
"It is only when the Somalis are able to discuss and negotiate without any external interference that durable peace can be ensured in Somalia," Meles underlined.
He paid tribute to the Defence Forces of Ethiopia for carrying out a successful campaign against the "forces of terror in close collaboration with the young army of Somalia."
Meles also expressed appreciation to the AU for taking "a clear and principled position" regarding Ethiopia's decision to fight the Somali war in self-defence.
He noted that the AU's call for the Ethiopian army to leave Somalia promptly was in line with the position of his government.
Meles said various governments have supported Ethiopia for the measures it has taken in Somalia while the UN Security Council did not put into question those measures.
He mentioned Eritrea as the only country that took a different stand because it was "the creator of the problem". 

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