Somalia participates in historic NATO meeting
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Anti-ISIS coalition meets at NATO Headquarters
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Brussels, Belgium (HOL) - A meeting of Foreign Ministers from 59 countries forming the U.S.-led coalition against ISIL militants, was held in the NATO headquarters in Brussels yesterday. The meeting chaired by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reviewed progress in the fight against ISIL and discussed how the coalition members will coordinate politically and militarily going forward.
Secretary John Kerry, NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg, The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq (SRSG), Mr. Nickolay Mladenov as well President Obama’s special envoy to Iraq General Allen spoke of their determination to bring stability to Iraq and the surrounding regions through the combating of ISIL violence and ideology. All argued that terrorism is one of the most pressing problems the world faces today and that through international partnership and co-ordination ISIL can be tackled effectively in Iraq and the wider MiddleEast.
The new Iraqi Prime Minister, Haider Al-Abadi, delivered a key note address on his new government’s progress and challenges whilst also calling for a coordinated and sustained approach to returning security and peace to Iraq. He spoke of the impact the ISIL insurgency was having on the Iraqi people, economy and the wider region and his administrations current efforts at building an inclusive government which represents all Iraqis.
The 4 hour meeting of Coalition partners at the NATO headquarters provided an opportunity for all coalition government members to contribute their views to the challenge of overcoming ISIL and other terrorist organisations like AlShabaab in Somalia and Boko Haram in Nigeria.
The Somali government, which is a coalition partner against ISIL, was represented by the Somali Foreign Minister, Dr. Abdirahman Beileh, who spoke of the lessons that can be learnt from Somalia’s battle with AlShabaab. He also called for partnership, coordination and the provision of alternative livelihoods to entice young indoctrinated fighters to return to wider society as fully empowered citizens contributing positively to their nations progress rather than destroying it.
At the end of the conference, a joint statement by partners in the Counter ISIL Coalition was endorsed calling for greater partnership and all members states to do what they can to support the effort against ISIL in Iraq.
Source: HOL
