UN welcomes convening of transitional parliament inside the country

The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday welcomed the convening of the first session of the transitional federal parliament inside Somalia and highlighted the importance of reconciliation in the Horn of Africa nation.

The Council also called on all parties in the country to end factional violence, which continues to claim civilian lives and hamper critical humanitarian aid. "The Council calls on the TFP [transitional federal parliament] to promote peace and reconciliation in its work towards implementing the Transitional Federal Charter," it said in a statement.

Recent violence and abductions in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, and elsewhere could undermine the current political progress achieved by the leaders of the transitional institutions as they develop "a framework for addressing the complex and divisive issues" in the war-torn country, the Council warned.

The latest fighting in Mogadishu, which occurred in February, pitted armed militias who are reportedly loyal to a new alliance of faction leaders against armed militias of the Islamic courts. The newly created coalition - the Alliance for Peace and Fight Against International Terrorism - comprises several Mogadishu-based faction leaders. Its members include Muhammad Qanyare Afrah, Muse Sudi Yalahow, Omar Finnish, Bashir Raghe and Abdirashid Shire Ilqeyte.

The Council said continued clashes, as well as attacks by pirates against aid ships, had hampered UN efforts to provide emergency food at a time when severe drought had affected nearly two million people in the country. According to the UN, some 1.7 million Somalis need urgent aid because of the drought, which has been described as the country's worst in a decade. Some areas have recorded their driest months since 1961. The Council urged all Somali leaders to ensure unhindered humanitarian access to those in need and encouraged countries whose military vessels and aircraft operate off the coast of Somalia to be vigilant and take action against piracy.

The Council also condemned the increased flow of weapons into the country, in violation of the UN arms embargo against Somalia, and urged all states to hold violators accountable. It indicated readiness to consider an exemption to the embargo in the case of the deployment of a proposed peace-support mission by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, to be succeeded by an African Union mission.