UN envoy dismisses reports of outside involvement in plan

Meanwhile, the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s special representative to Somalia, David Stephen, recently said the Djibouti peace initiative was proceeding as planned. In an interview with the BBC, he noted there were people opposed to the proposal because of “external involvement”. “We have urged those who believe in external involvement to confirm what they are talking about, and to attend the meeting and express their concerns, because Djibouti is very flexible and willing to discuss anything with them,” he said. He said the people of northern Somalia, who disagree with the plan, should voice their concerns. “No external source has discussed Djibouti’s proposal for Somalia,” he stressed.