WAIT, THE AMERICANS ARE SERIOUS THIS TIME?:

Somalia asks AU for peacekeepers (BBC, 10/23/04)

Somalia's newly elected president has asked the African Union to send 20,000 peacekeepers to help make his country secure and disarm militias.

Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed made his request at a meeting in Ethiopia with the chairman of the AU's Commission, Alpha Oumar Konare.

He also made an appeal for peacekeepers at his swearing-in ceremony last week.

Mr Abdullahi is expected to discuss a possible mission with the AU's Peace and Security Council on Monday.

"The president has formally asked the AU for a 20,000-strong peacekeeping force to help in collecting millions of small arms known to be owned by the Somali people," AU spokesman Adam Thiam said.

The European Union's foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who is also on a visit to Addis Ababa, said the EU would consider helping to train Somali security forces.

Here's another benefit from crushing al Qaeda, which had ties to Somali warlords, and Saddam, who Somalia's last leader was pulling for.

Posted by Orrin Judd at October 24, 2004 9:32 AM