The Council of the European Union on Monday voiced concern over the situation in Somalia, calling for "urgent efforts by all parties towards an inclusive political process."
EU foreign ministers said in a news release that the situation in Somalia "currently poses a significant threat to peace and security in the Horn of Africa and beyond" and "causes immense suffering to the people of Somalia."
The ministers attending a meeting of the EU Council in Brussels reiterated the EU's commitment "to a comprehensive approach to the Somali crisis, covering the political, security and humanitarian facets."
Meanwhile, the meeting welcomed Nur Hassan Hussein as Somalia's new prime minister, saying his "appointment opens a window of opportunity to make progress on the transition."
They encouraged Hussein to invite all political forces both inside and outside Somalia to renounce violence and accept the Transitional Federal Charter as the framework for restoring peace and stability.
The Transitional Federal Charter and the Transitional Federal Institutions serve as the structure for the re-establishment of governance and for ending the conflicts in Somalia.
The EU Council condemned all acts of violence and called on all parties to cease hostilities while engaging in a ceasefire, confidence building and security arrangements in search of sustainable peace.
The council vowed to support the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which it said "is at present the only available option to facilitate the withdrawal of foreign and regional forces from Somalia."
It said the EU would give full backing to UN Special Representative for Somalia Ould Abdallah and to his leadership role in coordinating the efforts of the international community.
"The EU recognized the increasing danger posed by acts of piracy off the Somali coast and will study possible ways to respond to the problem, together with the Somali authorities and the international community," it said.
The EU Council welcomed the French initiative to provide military escorts to vessels chartered by the World Food Programme (WFP) delivering aid to Somalia.
The Western-backed transitional government, formed in 2004 in neighboring Kenya, is battling Islamist insurgents that have launched nearly daily attacks on interim government installations.
Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes in the conflict which a Somali human rights group says has killed 6,000 civilians this year.
Source: Xinhua
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