The Council recalls its ongoing concern at the situation in Somalia and stresses the importance of implementing the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1744 (2007) in order to address the political, security and humanitarian challenges faced in Somalia.

It emphasises the obligation on all parties to comply with international humanitarian law. It also urges them to work actively to guarantee complete, unhindered and safe access for humanitarian relief work. The Council strongly urges all parties to commit to a lasting cessation of hostilities to avoid further bloodshed. It stresses the need to reach an early agreement on comprehensive and permanent ceasefire arrangements, including mechanisms for disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration.

The Council reconfirms its support to the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs) as the organs mandated by the Transitional Federal Charter (TFC) and the only legitimate authorities to restore peace, stability and governance to Somalia. The EU urges the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to show the leadership and reach out to all parts of Somali society.

The Council urges the TFG to convene the National Reconciliation Congress (NRC) as soon as possible. It states its readiness to support the Congress, financially and otherwise, based on the need for it to help deliver lasting agreement on ceasefire arrangements and a sustainable political process.

The Council reaffirms its support for the Africa Union (AU) Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and welcomes the deployment of the Ugandan contingent. The Council expresses its sympathy for the tragic deaths of the Ugandan soldier and Belarusian aircrew in AMISOM, and strongly condemns any hostility towards AMISOM.

The EU considers the deployment of AMISOM as crucial in creating the conditions for the stabilisation of the country and the early withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from Somalia, and therefore calls on all Somali actors to work with AMISOM to help achieve these aims.

Lastly, it recalls the EU’s contribution of EUR 15 million to the financing of AMISOM, and its provision of advisory and planning support to the AU, in addition to bilateral contributions from EU Member States. The Council calls on all international partners to provide further support to AMISOM and on the African troop contributing countries to pursue their deployment as soon as possible.

The Council adopted certain conclusions on Somalia:

- it welcomed the conclusions of the second round of the Khartoum based inter- Somali dialogue, held on 2-4 September 2006, between the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFI) and the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), and the agreed communiqué as a positive step towards peace and reconciliation. The EU encourages the TFIs and the UIC to sustain the momentum of the talks, inter alia through the Joint Committee agreed in Khartoum, and enter into substantive negotiations, including on power sharing and security, on the basis of the Khartoum communiqué;

- the Council reaffirmed the commitment of the EU to assist the process, and urged the international community, particularly regional actors, to support the dialogue sponsored by the League of Arab States;

- it expressed its deep concern about the continuing tensions in Somalia between the UIC and the TFIs. The Council reconfirmed its support to the TFIs as the only legitimate political representation in Somalia as defined in the Transitional Federal Charter (TFC);

- all Somali parties were urged to exercise maximum restraint and to take immediate steps to reduce tension. Similarly, all states in the region were asked to support the Somali transition and to avoid interfering in the situation;

- the Council recalled the UN Security Council Resolution 733 of 1992 and the ensuing decision and presidential statements on this matter by the Security Council concerning the arms embargo on Somalia and urged all actors to adhere to it fully. The arms embargo must be closely monitored;

- t he Council took note of the readiness of the AU and IGAD to deploy a regional peace support mission in Somalia. Recalling the Statement by the President of the UN Security Council of 13 July 2006 and its balanced approach to the TFIs and the UIC, the Council encouraged all parties to work for a broad consensus in Somalia in support of peace and reconciliation. Once consensus on the peace support mission is achieved, the deployment of such a mission would necessitate a limited adjustment of the arms embargo.

- the Council welcomed the establishment of the International Contact Group (ICG) on Somalia in order to support the peace and reconciliation process. It emphasised that the Somali peace process could only become a reality with the will and effort of the Somali people itself, including through the active involvement of civil society, women's groups and the diaspora.

The European Parliament adopted a resolution in which it strongly condemns the recent fighting in and around Mogadishu and the events in Jowhar and elsewhere in the country, which resulted in the loss of life of numerous Somali civilians and the murder of Mr Martin Adler, a Swedish freelance photographer at a pro-Union of Islamic Courts meeting. It asks all parties concerned to refrain from any action likely to escalate the current tensions, to pursue the path of dialogue and to extend the necessary cooperation to the Transitional Federal Government and parliament as the legitimate central authorities in Somalia governed by the framework of the Transitional Federal Charter.

It supports the initiatives taken by the African Union, the Arab League and the International Authority on Development (IGAD) as well as their central role in the efforts aimed at sustaining the peace and reconciliation process in Somalia.

It urges the Transitional Federal Institutions and the Union of Islamic Courts to fully assume their responsibilities in the implementation of the dialogue initiated in Khartoum and calls on the newly formed International Somalia Contact Group, consisting of the African Union, the United Nations, the European Union, the United States, Sweden, Norway, Italy, Tanzania and others, to focus on issues of governance and institution-building, humanitarian assistance for the whole of Somali people and improving regional stability and security as a means to greater policy coordination among members of the international community.

The Parliament calls on the international community, and the EU in particular, to increase the provision of humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons and the populations in need and calls on all parties concerned to respect international humanitarian law and allow relief agencies access to the populations in need, as well as to ensure the protection of humanitarian workers.

Lastly, Parliament urges strict application and monitoring of the arms embargo against Somalia imposed by the UN in 1992, for which scant respect is shown, and insists that a partial lifting of the embargo should in no way be linked to a possible UN-mandated peace support mission.