France urges caution over Somalia

France urged caution on Wednesday against military action in Somalia as part of the war against terrorism. French Minister of State for Cooperation Charles Josselin said "incontrovertible evidence" was needed that the country was harbouring terrorist organisations before strikes were launched.

Josselin, who ended a three-day visit to Ethiopia on Wednesday, said his government was particularly worried about the crisis in Somalia. Somalia has been accused of being a haven for terrorists and a possible hideout for members of Osama Bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network.

Addressing a press conference in Addis Ababa, Josselin warned that American B52 bombers were not the answer to Somalia's problems. "We told our American allies that a proper account must be taken of the specific situation in Somalia," he said. "We also told them that we have to help Somalia rebuild itself because we do believe that the lack of a proper and strong state in Somalia is one of the reasons why terrorism could thrive there."

Josselin said the Horn of Africa had been under the spotlight following last year's terrorist attacks in New York and this was one of the reasons he had wanted to come to Ethiopia. He said that Somalia had dominated discussions with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi but they agreed that the key to future peace in the region lay in the reconstruction of a proper Somali state. He added that they did not go into details about how Ethiopia could help in the fight against global terrorism. Josselin, who was due in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Thursday, said he would also raise the Somali question with Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi.

Ethiopia is one of the countries listed by France as a priority zone – a country where they will target resources to help in the fight against poverty and increase development. During his visit, during which he also had talks with the Ethiopian ministers of finance and defence, the countries signed two agreements including a 11.7 million birr (US $1.3 million) grant to help improve sanitation conditions of livestock exports.