Somalia (Hansard, 30 October 2003)

§ Angus Robertson
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the progress of the Somali Peace Conference in Kenya; what assistance his Department has(a) offered and (b) given to the conference; and if he will make a statement. [134720]

§ Mr. Mullin
Despite a number of difficulties, there have been some positive outcomes to the Somalia reconciliation talks, including a ceasefire agreement and significant dialogue among the parties. The United Kingdom, through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development, has provided support to the conference running costs, to the African Union ceasefire monitoring process, to satellite broadcasting of the proceedings, and to other facilitation activities. We expect to give further support to enable Somalis to take forward any satisfactory outcome of the conference.

§ Angus Robertson
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions(a) he, (b) members of his Department and (c) representatives of the United Kingdom Government have had since August with representatives of the governments participating in the Somali Peace Conference; what problems have been highlighted (i) to him and (ii) by him; and if he will make a statement. [134721]

§ Mr. Mullin
I discussed the progress of the reconciliation talks with Foreign Minister Musyoka of Kenya earlier this month. An official from our High Commission in Nairobi contributes by acting as an observer to the conference, undertaking regular discussions with other members of the international community, Somali leaders and representatives of the facilitating "frontline states". The principal recent concern of all international observers has been the need to ensure inclusiveness in the conference. We have been pressing all parties to address this issue.

§ Angus Robertson
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with representatives of the Government of Djibouti regarding its decision of 19 October to withdraw from the Somali Peace Conference in Kenya; what issues were raised by the Government of Djibouti; and if he will make a statement. [134722]

§ Mr. Mullin
Our First Secretary at the British High Commission in Nairobi responsible for Somali affairs has discussed Djibouti's withdrawal with their envoy to the talks. Their principal concerns about the management of the conference and the lack of inclusiveness of Somali representation there were addressed in Kampala last week during the summit of IGAD, the regional intergovernmental body for the Horn of Africa. I understand that, as a result, Djibouti is reconsidering its position.

§ Angus Robertson
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of(a) the security situation, 372W (b) the political situation and (c) social stability in (i) Somaliland and (ii) the rest of Somalia since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [134717]

§ Mr. Mullin
Somaliland organised successful local and Presidential elections, in 2002 and 2003 respectively, which have consolidated security and stability in the area. However, in recent weeks there have been three murders of Western expatriates in Somaliland, including most recently on 20 October the murder of two British schoolteachers in the town of Sheikh. We continue to monitor the security situation in Somaliland closely. At present we advise against travel to the Sool and Sanaag regions of Somaliland, and against all travel to other parts of Somalia.
Elsewhere in Somalia the situation remains unsettled without any form of effective Government or prospect of early elections. The area is principally run by armed factions and there is little stability or security.