ASSISTANT SECRETARY CARSON: Thank you very much. It’s a pleasure to be with all of you this morning to talk about two issues of significant importance to the United States. Somalia first. The visit here this week of the new Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud represents a significant change in the security and political situation on the ground in Somalia and our relationship with that country.

When the Secretary meets with Hassan Sheikh tomorrow, she will exchange diplomatic notes with him and recognize the Somali Government in Mogadishu for the first time in 20 years, since the collapse of the Siad Barre government in 1991.

We believe that over the last four years, our policies in Somalia and in the region have made a significant difference in strengthening stability in Mogadishu and in helping to get rid of the key members of the East Africa al-Qaida cell as well as breaking the back of al-Shabaab. We have done this largely with and through and alongside of our African partners in AMISOM. This has been a major, major success.

We are a long way from where we were on October 3, 1993, when Blackhawk Down occurred in Mogadishu. Significant progress has been made in stabilizing the country, in helping to break up and defeat al-Shabaab. Much more needs to be done, but we think enormous progress has been made, and we have been at the very center of this in our support for AMISOM. I’d be glad to go into more details on this, but Hassan Sheikh will, through this recognition, be able to establish new relationships not only with USAID and the various development partners in the U.S. Government, but will also open up opportunities for his government to receive assistance from the international financial communities.

One of the big meetings occurring today with Hassan Sheikh is a meeting with the president of the World Bank, President Kim. But this is a significant achievement, and we want to build on it. Al-Shabaab is not totally eliminated, but they no longer control any of the major cities in Somalia. They have been on the run for some period of time now.

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