AU agrees to provide peacekeeping troops for Somalia

www.chinaview.cn 2005-01-06 05:32:27

ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 5 (Xinhuanet) -- The African Union (AU) agreed on Wednesday in principle to send peacekeepers to facilitate the return of Somalia's new government to its capital Mogadishu.

"The AU Peace and Security Council agreed in principle to deploy a peace force in Somalia," the council said in a statement following a meeting at the ambassadorial level.

It will be in support of the efforts of the Somali transitional government during its relocation process and to undertake protection of government installations such as airports and seaports, according to the statement.

But the AU's Peace and Security Council said the details were to be made clear later on the force's size, its rules of engagement or its deployment date.

The Somali government, currently based in the relative security of neighboring Kenya, is picking a new cabinet before going home to try and rebuild the anarchic nation and rein in its fractious militia groups.

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