The President French

I should like to inform the Council that I have received a letter from the representative of Somalia, in which he requests to be invited to participate in the consideration of the item on the Council's agenda. In conformity with the usual practice, I propose, with the consent of the Council, to invite that representative to participate in the consideration of the item without the right to vote, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the Council's provisional rules of procedure.

There being no objection, it is so decided.

The President French

The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. The Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations.

After consultations among the members of the Security Council, I have been authorized to make the following statement on behalf of the Council:

"The Security Council condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in Mogadishu on 3 December at a graduation ceremony for Somali medical students at Benadir University, which resulted in the death of innocent civilians and the Somali Ministers of Health, Higher Education and Education. This was a criminal attack on people dedicated to building a peaceful, stable and prosperous future for the people of Somalia.

"The Security Council expresses its deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of those killed and to those injured in the attack, as well as to the Transitional Federal Government and the people of Somalia.

"The Security Council urges that a thorough investigation be conducted and that the perpetrators of this attack be brought swiftly to justice.

"The Security Council underlines its determination to continue to support the people of Somalia in their quest for peace and reconciliation, and the Transitional Federal Government as the legitimate authority in Somalia, and reiterates its full support for the Djibouti Peace Process, which provides a framework for reaching a lasting political solution in Somalia.

"The Security Council reaffirms its demand that all opposition groups immediately end attacks, put down their arms, renounce violence and join reconciliation efforts. The Council further calls on all parties to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law, in particular to respect the security of civilians, humanitarian workers and the personnel of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

"The Security Council welcomes the work of AMISOM in supporting the casualties of the attack and their relatives. It reiterates its strong support for AMISOM and expresses its continued appreciation for the commitment of troops by the governments of Uganda and Burundi.

"The Security Council reaffirms that Somalia's long-term security rests with the effective development by the Transitional Federal Government of the National Security Force and the Somali Police Force, in the framework of the Djibouti Agreement and in line with a national security strategy. The Council urges the international community to support the Somali security institutions, in coordination with AMISOM, including through training and equipment."

This statement will be issued as a document of the Security Council under the symbol S/PRST/2009/31.

The Security Council has thus concluded the present stage of its consideration of the item on the agenda.