By NNN-ENA
Addis Ababa : United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has stressed the need for a political solution to the conflict in Somalia and said ensuring the rapid deployment of the peacekeeping mission there is crucial to bring lasting peace to that country.
Rice, who arrived here Wednesday for a two-day official visit to Ethiopia, affirmed that the US administration does not support the HR 2003 bill passed by the US Hopuse of Representatives criticising the human rights situation in Ethiopia, among other things.
Rice met Ugandan President Yoweri Museven, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and President Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi, as well as the Interior Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Denis Kalume, at the Great Lakes Summit which opened here Wednesday to discuss conflict situations in the Great Lakes region of Africa.
Rice told journalists here Wednesday after the Summit: “The US continues to believe that there are really two steps needed to be taken in order to bring peace to Somalia.”
She said these were encouraging the broadest participation of all political elements across Somalia, excluding terrorists, and rapid deployment of peacekeeping forces.
Political participation in Somalia should be more inclusive, said Rice, who added that “the Somali leadership is going to have to really reach out to all the elements that are not linked with terrorism”.
Rice said the US also wanted to tackle the humanitarian emergency, isolate extremists and push for quicker deployment of African Union (AU) peacekeepers in Somalia.
Regarding the situation in the DRC, Rice said the summit reached agreement on the need for rapid strengthening of the security institutions of the country, not to support negative forces and to seek additional measures to address long-term conflict.
Asked about taking the DRC issue to United Nations Security Council, she said that since diplomatic solutions were underway there was no need to do so.
While in Ethiopia, Rice is expected to discuss with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and Foreign Affairs Minister Seyoum Mesfin matters related to bilateral co-operation as well as international and regional issues.
Meanwhile Seyoum told ENA here that bilateral co-operation issues would be thoroughly examined during the visit by Rice, which, he said, would have vital contributions to further shoring up Ethiopia-US relations.
Seyoum also underlined that further bolstering the existing relations between Ethiopia and the US would benefit countries in the Horn of Africa through promoting peace and stability in the region.
He said the situations in Somalia and the Sudan as well as in the Great Lakes countries were among matters to be discussed.
An exchange of views would also be held on the role the UN and other forces could play in ensuring peace and stability in the Great Lakes region, Seyoum said, adding that the discussions would be an important opportunity to call the US government to assist the ongoing efforts aimed at creating strong economic relation among the Great Lakes countries.