EU to pledge 60 million euros for Somalia

The European Commission will pledge at least 60 million euros (78 million U.S. dollars) to support Somalia's security institutions and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) at Thursday's donor conference, said the commission on Wednesday."Supporting Somalia's future security set-up is critical. The only real and viable solution is to help Somalia from within: by pooling international efforts and supporting the new government to build security, peace and stability," said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso."Recent acts of piracy are a wake-up call to the international community, but it would be wrong to limit the response to the military intervention. This is just another symptom of a deep and 17-year-long decay of the state," said Barroso.Thursday's conference aims to assist Somalia's new government to establish increased security and stability across the country. Funding is needed both for the AMISOM and for the support of Somalia's own security forces.The conference will be attended by Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, African Union Commission Chairman Jean Ping and Barroso.Source: Xinhua