The United States will be releasing food aid to Somalia and plans to participate in a donor's conference to assess humanitarian needs in the country following the overthrow of the Somali Council of Islamic Courts by Ethiopian and Somali forces.State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said January 3 there will be "some immediate donations in which we will be able to release some food aid that will get to the Somali people."
Bush administration officials also will be meeting with members of the humanitarian assistance donor community to discuss the scope of the country's needs and who can help to fill them. "And certainly we'll be part of that," McCormack said.
He said the Bush administration also has requested that a Somalia Contact Group meeting be held to discuss the next steps in the country following the ouster of the Islamic Courts, including ways to address the security situation and strengthen Somalia’s political institutions.
Jendayi Frazer, assistant secretary of state for African affairs, will co-host the meeting, which McCormack said will take place January 5 in Kenya.
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