| Wake up? Maybe. But we could say 'not completely comatose'... |
| We've been helping. What do they think all those soldiers and Predators are all about, anyway? |
Addressing the conference, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said : "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is still contacting all Somali forces who genuinely wish to see an end to the burning issue."
| Not to mention all the ones who don't, but that's not to be talked about publicly. |
"These problems in Somalia don't just affect Somalia. They affect us all. If the rest of us just sit back and look on, we will pay a price for doing so," Cameron said. "It's a country where there is so little hope, where there is chaos and violence and terrorism, pirates are disrupting vital trade routes and kidnapping tourists."
Clinton said the US would push for sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes, for those "standing in the way" of progress by the fragile transitional government, the mandate for which expires in August. She also pledged an extra $64 million in humanitarian assistance to the region to help improve the lives of ordinary Somalis, blighted by famine and civil war for the past 21 years.
Ban urged the world to build on recent progress after the UN agreed to boost the African Union peacekeeping force in the country to 17,000, and after Al-Shabab rebels were driven from a key town.
While commending the efforts of the British Premier David Cameron to bring peace in Somalia, Prince Saud said Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah initiated the signing of a national conciliation agreement by Somali factions in Jeddah in 2009. He said Saudi Arabia believed that all Somali factions without the exception of any personality or group should be involved in making a just and comprehensive solution acceptable to all parties.
The prince also pointed out that Saudi Arabia has been striving all along to reduce the poverty in Somalia. "The last Saudi aid given to help the famine stricken Somalia people was $70 million besides a contribution of more than $53 million by the Saudi people between 2009 and 2011. This was apart from the thousands of tons of dates, other food materials, medical supplies and shelter materials supplied to the suffering people," the prince said, adding that the Kingdom has also been giving additional aid as part of the decision of the Arab summits on the issue.
| How much went to the Widows Ammunition Fund, your Corpulenceness? |