Vol. 428 No. 1
132 Mrs. Owen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the results, if any, that have been achieved from the visit of the Minister of State at his Department, Deputy Tom Kitt, to the UN seeking additional protection from UN troops for aid workers in Somalia.
Following the killing of Concern volunteer, Valerie Place, the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Tom Kitt, travelled to New York and Washington on 24 February for meetings at the UN and the US State Department on the security of aid workers in Somalia. He put forward a number of practical proposals for improvements in the protection and security of aid agencies and their volunteers. These proposals were conveyed by the State Department to the US Special Representative in Somalia and to the US Commander of the Unified Task Force (UNITAF).
The situation in Somalia is still extremely tense. An official of my Department visited Somalia in the past two weeks and reported that while the security situation remains difficult, especially in Mogadishu, there has been a noted improvement in protection arrangements for NGOs operating in Baidoa. Minister of State Kitt is visiting Somalia this week. He will be reviewing with the NGOs, UNITAF and the UN on the ground what further measures are necessary to improve protection for Irish and other aid workers.
At the UN Co-ordination Conference on Somalia which was held in Addis Ababa from 11 to 13 March, the Irish delegates stressed the vital importance of the NGOs in the relief effort in Somalia. The conference agreed that adequate security was essential for the continuation of relief and rehabilitation efforts and that there was an urgent need to disarm all gangs operating in the country. It was also agreed that close liaison was necessary between the UN and the NGOs on the planning and implementation of relief efforts and on the question of security.
