Ghana's new leader considers sending 2 battalions to Somalia

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - Ghana's new President John Atta Mills has pledged to the African Union that his country will urgently consider sending two battalions to the stretched African force in Somalia.African Union's Peace Keeping Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) requires an urgent personnel beef-up to help keep power in the hands of the weak government there, after the withdrawal of the Ethiopian troops on the ground.African Union's chief diplomat Jean Ping, who was in Ghana on 7 January for the swearing in of the new Ghanaian President, said that he got immediate pledges of Ghana's positive approval to his request for troops."The situation in Somalia is a constant preoccupation for us," Ping, the Chairperson of the AU Commission, told journalists at his inaugural New Year briefing, at which he spelled his vision for Africa in the New Year.The top African diplomat said he was upset by the occurrence of two successful military coups in Africa, but also noted that his timely condemnation of an attempted one in Guinea-Bissau successfully prevented another one.Ping, who is set to continue his Africa-wide search for Somali peacekeeping troops during a trip later on Friday to Egypt, said that the new Ghanaian President was consulting widely on the possibility of sending at least two battalions to Somalia.President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso is also considering a similar request from the African Union to increase the number of African troops to Somalia. more..http://www.panapress.com/freenews.asp?code=eng007585&dte=09/01/2009
UN Security Council to consider Somali peacekeeping force
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon is to make a formal plea to the Security Council to approve a peacekeeping force for Somalia soon, Africa's chief diplomat, Jean Ping, announced here Friday.The UN chief called the African Union's Commission Chairperson, Ping, three days ago to discuss the details of the proposed peacekeeping force for Somalia and assured Ping that the proposal has the backing of key Council members."The Secretary-General told me he would present a proposal to the Security Council. He is talking to the big five and the United States has backed the proposal for the UN presence in Somalia," Ping said.A delegation of military experts from the United Nations Peace Support Operations is due in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to discuss further details of the UN support to Somalia.AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ambassador Ramtane Lamamra, said he would meet with senior United Nations officials this weekend to plot the success of the joint United Nations-African Union collaboration on Somalia. more..http://www.panapress.com/freenews.asp?code=eng007577&dte=09/01/2009