UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the international community to seize "the strategic moment" to build the foundations for peace in Somalia by beefing up UN political efforts and deploying an 8,000-strong multinational force to the conflict-wracked nation.
This could pave the way for the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops who helped Somalia rout the Islamic movement in December 2006 and the possible deployment of a UN peacekeeping force of up to 27,000 soldiers and 1,500 police, he said.
In a long-delayed report to the Security Council, Ban said on Tuesday that the UN is developing a three-pronged strategy to promote dialogue between Somalia's transitional government and opposition elements, to ensure "a credible security presence" even before a formal ceasefire, and to strengthen government institutions, humanitarian aid and economic recovery.
Somalia has not had a functioning government since clan-based warlords toppled dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991 and then turned on each other, sinking the poverty-stricken nation of 7 million people into chaos.
Its weak transitional government, backed by Ethiopian troops, is struggling to quash the re-emerging Islamic insurgency that has killed thousands of civilians. The insurgents, who US officials have repeatedly linked to al-Qaeda, are backed by Ethiopia's arch-enemy, Eritrea.
In December, the Security Council called on Ban to begin planning for the possible deployment of UN peacekeepers to replace the African Union force now in Somalia. The council was reiterating a request it initially made in August that Ban rejected.
The council is scheduled to discuss Somalia today.
The secretary-general said in Tuesday's report that he was encouraged by the appointment of Somali Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein last November, his selection of "an able and competent Cabinet," and efforts by the transitional government "to reach out to opposition groups."
Last week, Hussein announced that the government was willing to talk with the military wing of the country's Islamist extremist movement, a major change in government policy.
"Recent developments in Somalia indicate that the political situation in the country provides a unique opportunity for proactive engagement by the international community to support domestic initiatives," Ban said.
"We must seize, without delay, the strategic moment, and move decisively to build the foundations for durable peace and stability in Somalia," he said.
At the same time, however, Ban stressed that the security situation remains a major concern as does "the dire humanitarian condition of the Somali people."
The UN estimates that 700,000 Somalis fled their homes in and around Mogadishu last year, the vast majority to a "hunger zone" in the south and southwest.
A fact-finding mission led by the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations found that "the security situation remains volatile throughout the country, despite significant regional variations, the north being relatively more stable than southern and central Somalia," he said.
Ban said the fact-finding mission developed four scenarios leading to the deployment of a possible UN peacekeeping operation.
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