Brussels to host international conference on Somalia in September

The Federal Government of Somalia and the European Union are to co-host "The New Deal For Somalia Conference" in Brussels on 16 September, the EU announced here tonight. The international conference will endorse a new programme that will commit the Somali people and their international partners to a set of key priorities and new support for the reconstruction of Somalia over the next three years. "The situation in Somalia has been transformed over the past year. There is now a real atmosphere of activity, emerging governance and hope," said EU High Representative Catherine Ashton in a statement. President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said in the joint statement that "all Somalis must seize this opportunity to galvanise international support to aid our recovery. We have this one chance to ensure that over the next three years we build on the momentum of progress and remove any threat of a return to anarchy and conflict."