1. Background

Somali has sunken into a long civil war since January 1991, and is now ruled by separatist warlord regimes. The international community tried a dozen times to resolve their problem. Among them, the two-year UN Somali peacekeeping and mediation program adopted by the Security Council in 1992, the Sodelay peace process launched by Ethiopia and Cairo peace process launched by Egypt both in 1997 all failed to function due to many reasons. In August 2000, the Arta peace process launched by Djibouti made some headway. The Somali National Peace Conference with popular forces as its main pillar elected a transitional president of Somali, and following that, the Transitional National Government (TNG) was formed. But TNG failed to exercise the due authority as a central government due to strong boycott from the principal warlords. Although the international community expressed its support to the principles of the Arta peace process program, that did not make those warlords to join the process. This peace process again fell into impasse. In the recent years Ethiopia and Kenya, both Somali's neighbours, continued to make mediation efforts, trying to help TNG reach agreement with the main warlord factions through negotiation.

2. Position of the Chinese government to the peace processes in Somali

The Chinese government has followed with concern the development of those peace process programs. China supports all the efforts intended to realize an early peace in Somali. China holds that the key to the solution of the Somali problem rests on the joint efforts of the whole Somali people, achieving a widely-based national reconciliation. The international community should coordinate their efforts to promote the solution of the problem. China sincerely wish all the parties in Somali could put the interests of the whole people in the first place, cast away past grievances and reach national reconciliation through dialogue and by peaceful means. China as a permanent member of the Security Council is ready, together with the international community, to continue to play a positive role in the peaceful solution of the Somali question.