UNITED NATIONS, May 16 (UPI) -- The U.N. Security Council is calling for an unconditional and immediate cease-fire by the warring parties in Somalia's capital of Mogadishu.
In a statement read to reporters by the Council president for May, Ambassador Basile Ikouebe of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the 15-member body also urged Tuesday all parties in the Horn of Africa nation "to allow for the resumption of humanitarian activities, the rescue of survivors and the recovery of the deceased."
Ikouebe noted the council was briefed on recent Somali developments yesterday by U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Tuliameni Kalomoh. There have been recent reports of violence which have led to a large number of casualties and the displacement of thousands of people.
In its statement, the council reiterated its full support for the Transitional Federal Institutions as they try to implement the Transitional Federal Charter of the Somali Republic. It urged all parties to return to the path of dialogue and reconciliation and work within the framework of the Transitional Federal Institutions.
The Transitional Federal Institutions have been working with East Africa's Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union and the international community in an effort to develop a National Security and Stabilization Plan to bring peace to the impoverished country.
Security Council members underscored their united support for the IGAD-sponsored reconciliation process in Somalia and appealed to all Somali leaders of factions to fully cooperate with Francois Lonseny Fall, the special representative of the secretary-general, the Contact Group and IGAD leaders in their attempts to secure a cease-fire and a negotiated settlement by all parties concerned.
