To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with the Transitional Government in Somalia on future security and the possible role of African Union forces. (119195)

My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, spoke to President Yusuf of the Transitional Federal Government in Addis Ababa on 26 January about security and the role of African Union forces in Somalia. Senior officials in the region also have frequent contact with the Transitional Federal Government representatives on these issues.