We welcome the peace agreement between the Transitional Federal government and the Alliance for Re-Liberation of Somalia initialled on 9 June in Djibouti. The agreement calls for the deployment of an international stabilisation force in Somalia. The agreement is a positive step and we look forward to all parties fulfilling their commitment to cease armed confrontation in Somalia.
My noble Friend the Minister for Africa, Lord Malloch-Brown, attended the African Union (AU) summit in Sharm el Sheikh from 30 June to 1 July. At the summit, my noble Friend Lord Malloch-Brown held a number of bilateral meetings with various members and representatives of the AU. As the main focus of the summit and bilateral meetings was Zimbabwe, the opportunity to raise the future of the AU Mission in Somalia did not arise. However, my noble Friend Lord Malloch-Brown did meet with Ethiopian President Meles and Somali President Yusuf, with whom he discussed a possible international stabilisation force in Somalia.