UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council on Thursday underscored the need for contingency planning for a new United Nations mission in Somalia, which has been undermined by violent clashes and massive displacement in recent months but where observers also see hope for reconciliation.

In a statement read out by the President of 15-member Council, Johan Verbeke of Belgium, which holds the rotating presidency, the council said it looked forward to a report from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the issue “by mid-June.”

The statement also emphasised “the urgent need for appropriate contingency planning for a possible United Nations mission to be deployed in Somalia if the Security Council decided to authorise such a mission.” Speaking to reporters after briefing the Council in closed session, B. Lynn Pascoe, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, said the current juncture offered hope for progress in Somalia, which had lacked a functioning government since Mohamed Siad Barre’s regime was toppled in 1991.

“This may be the best chance that Somalia’s had in the last 15, 16 years to actually start moving forward,” he said. “We hope that’s the case. We certainly want to give every help and assistance to that process we can.”