Africa

Africa

Somalia urges UN to lift arms embargo

14 February 2013 22:20 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Somalia's foreign minister is urging the UN Security Council to lift the 20-year-old arms embargo on the country so its armed forces can fight off al-Qaida-linked militants and consolidate peace, APA reports quoting Todays Zaman.

Fawzia Y. H. Adam, who is also deputy prime minister, told the council Thursday that the Somali government will institute measures "to ensure that armaments do not fall into the wrong hands."

Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Taye-Brook Zerihoun told the council that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has suggested "a calibrated approach" which would take into account the need to support the development of Somalia's forces while avoiding weapons proliferation, which could exacerbate the security situation.