Somalia hopes for Marshall Plan at London conference

Feb 22, 2012, 12:20 GMT

London - Somalia has said it hopes the international conference on the country's future taking place in London on Thursday will come up with a Marshall Plan to rebuild the war-torn nation.

Speaking in a BBC interview Wednesday, Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali said the country was moving into an 'era of peace' after decades of lawlessness.

'Somalia is at a crossroads... We are moving from an era of warlordism, terrorism, extremism and piracy, and we are moving into an era of peace, stability and normalcy. Twenty years of lawlessness, violence and chaos is enough. Somalis are ready to move on,' he said.

His comments came as the British government prepared to host representatives of more than 40 nations and multilateral bodies, including the United Nations at the Somalia conference.

Meanwhile, the Guardian newspaper reported that Britain and other European Union countries had considered the feasibility of airstrikes to tackle the twin threats of piracy and Islamist insurgency in Somalia.

It said the issue had been discussed by Britain's National Security Council (NSC) in recent months, but remained 'on the drawing board for now.'

Prime Minister David Cameron, in an interview with the BBC on Wednesday, warned of the 'real threat' posed by the Islamist al-Shabaab group in Somalia.

'The security threat is real, it is substantial. It is based on the fact that al-Shabaab is an organization that has now explicitly linked itself to al-Qaeda,' Cameron said.

There was a 'very real danger' of young British Somalis having their minds poisoned by this organization, he added. 'So there is a terrorist threat that is current today, and if we are not careful, could get worse,' Cameron warned.

According to the Guardian, airstrikes against the group's logistical hubs and training camps had been discussed by the NSC, a kind of security cabinet that also brings in representatives of the armed forces and the intelligence services.

The London meeting will attempt to agree an approach to resolving the political turmoil, improving security, tackling terrorism, and providing humanitarian aid to Somalia.

According to unconfirmed reports, the UN is expected to approve an increase by more than 5,000 soldiers of the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia, known as AMISOM.

Meanwhile, the British government said it would fund a new state-of-the art intelligence centre in the Seychelles to co-ordinate action against Somali pirates.

The operation would allow the international community to target 'the king-pins of piracy and ensure piracy does not pay,' said Foreign Secretary William Hague.

Britain's International Development Secretary, Andrew Mitchell, said he expected the conference to set up a 'stability fund' to create jobs, agree local peace deals and establish police, courts and basic services.

There would also be aid packages to assist 150,000 Somali refugees in Kenya, and 100,000 in Ethiopia.

'This conference gives us a chance to do much more by breaking the cycle of instability and agree a practical way forward that will improve things in the longer-term,' Mitchell said Wednesday.