Meeting with the Prime Minister of Somalia, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali
Ahead of the international conference on 23rd and 24th of February in London President Barroso met today the Somali Prime Minister of the Transitional Federal Government, Mr Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, in Brussels. The conference should provide an opportunity for a change in the security situation and enable political progress in the country. European Commission President Barroso reaffirmed to the Somali Prime Minister the European commitment to continue assisting Somalia to restore peace and stability. He pointed out that the European Union is the lead donor to Somalia, with € 415 million allocated for 2008-2013, for funding activities on governance, education and economic development. Besides, the EU is also the biggest supporter of AMISOM, said the President, and underlined that the EU is also heavily engaged in supporting security in the country and the wider region, jointly with the African Union. President Barroso said: "Ahead of the London Conference, I am happy to say that the EU stands ready to mobilise additional resources to enable an increase of the number of troops, pending a decision of the UN Security Council", and called on other donors and the international community to step up their assistance. He concluded: "I have also told to the Prime Minister that our continued support and engagement must be met with improvements in the political front."
The EU renewed its commitment to foster peace and security in Somalia