COMMUNIQUE OF THE 61ST MEETING OF THE PEACE

The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 61^st meeting held on 31 August 2006, considered the deployment plan of the IGAD Peace Support Operation in Somalia (IGASOM), and received a briefing from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kenya, in his capacity as chair of the IGAD Council of Ministers, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Somalia.

At the end of the deliberations, Council adopted the following decision;

Council,

1.                  Recalls its earlier decisions on the deployment of IGASOM, including communiqué PSC/PR/Comm(XXIX) adopted at its 29^th meeting held on 12 May 2005 and communiqué PSC/PR/Comm(LV) adopted at its 55^th meeting held on 17 June 2006.  Council expresses appreciation for the Minister’s brief and also takes note of the deployment plan for IGASOM as prepared by the IGAD Chiefs of Defence Staff at their meeting held in Nairobi from 15 to 18 August 2006 and endorsed by the IGAD Committee of Ambassadors at its meeting of 21 to 22 August 2006;

2.                  Stresses the need for continued and sustained efforts to stabilize the security situation in Somalia and the consolidation of the peace and reconciliation process in that country.  In this respect, Council reiterates its full support to IGAD for its initiatives and efforts and the central role it continues to play in bringing about peace and reconciliation in Somalia;

3.                  Endorses the report presented by the Military Staff Committee (MSC) following its meetings held in Addis Ababa on 28 and 31 August 2006, to review the IGASOM deployment plan;

4.                  Takes note of the IGASOM deployment plan, and whilst supporting it in principle, emphasizes the need for its further revision, taking into account the observations made in paragraphs 4 to 11 of the MSC report referred to above.  In this regard, Council instructs the Commission to convene, as a matter of urgency, a meeting between the MSC and IGAD, to review the deployment plan accordingly and report to it as soon as possible;

5.                  Reiterates its earlier appeals to the UN Security Council to provide an exemption to the arms embargo imposed on Somalia by resolution 733 (1992) of 23 January 1992, in order to facilitate the early deployment of IGASOM;

6.                  Urges the Commission to initiate the required consultations with the European Commission and other partners, in order to mobilise resources and logistical support for the deployment of IGASOM;

7.                  Appreciates the ongoing efforts by the League of Arab States to facilitate a dialogue between the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) within the framework of the Transitional Federal Charter (TFC) and encourages the parties to demonstrate the required commitment and political will;

8.                  Decides to remain seized of the matter.