US urges Security Council to lift arms embargo on Somalia

by admin
Feb 4, 2013

The US urged members of the UN Security Council to lift the arms embargo on the Somalian government, citing stability within the state.

The embargo was imposed 21 years ago.

Last week the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon asserted that the embargo should be lifted in order to aid Somalian security forces in their fight against al Shabaab militants.

The deputy UN ambassador for Somalia, Idd Beddel Mohamed, told Reuters:

"There are no Somali warlords that threaten peace and stability in Somalia,"

"They are normal citizens now, members of parliament. The embargo must be lifted."

Speaking to Reuters a 'senior Western diplomat' said:

"I think we'll come down in terms of having probably a political lift of the arms embargo but retaining some controls,"

"What the Somali government partly wants is a political signal that they are now a sovereign government and we're supporting them, rather than a trusteeship,"

"They say the bad guys are getting weapons and the good guys are not."

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