Those blocking Somalia peace 'will be held accountable' - UN Security Council

Warning that it will keep close watch on those blocking efforts to resolve the conflict in Somalia, the United Nations Security Council today called on the country's warring parties to reach a peaceful settlement.

"The Security Council condemns those who obstruct the peace process and stresses that those who persist on the path of confrontation and conflict will be held accountable," the Council President for February, Ambassador Wang Guangya of China, said in a presidential statement agreed on by the 15 members.

The Council urged the Somali parties to build on progress made so far and to "swiftly conclude the Somali National Reconciliation Conference with a durable and inclusive solution to the conflict in Somalia by establishing a viable transitional government," he said.

The President also voiced the Council's concern over the continued flow of weapons and ammunition to Somalia, calling on States and entities to cooperate with a Monitoring Group set up to oversee the international arms embargo against the country.

The National Reconciliation Conference is taking place in Kenya under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). The statement urged international support for IGAD, as well as for the African Union (AU), which is prepared to send a military observer mission to Somalia.