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Analysis: Somalia May Fall Back to Chaos
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The key to improving security, Frazer said, is to hold political talks that bring together all segments of Somali society, including moderate religious leaders who backed the militant Council of Islamic Courts.
"I think it's important to talk to the Islamic courts, or whoever are the moderates within the group," Frazer said. "They did bring a certain degree of order to Mogadishu. They have experience."
On Sunday, Frazer met with the speaker of Somalia's parliament, Sheik Sharif Hassan Aden, who has close ties to the Islamic leadership in Somalia. He urged Somalis not to attack the Ethiopian troops and to welcome peacekeepers. He also called on Islamic leaders to come to the negotiating table.
"It has to be the Somali people themselves who are running this and we as the international community need to support that process by getting a stabilization force in that can give them the space to have the dialogue," Frazer said.
Frazer has put $40 million on the table for Somalia, including $14 million for the peacekeepers. The U.S. Navy has a task force patrolling the Somali coast to intercept terrorists.
The U.S. is also using its diplomatic power to build support for the Somali government and the peacekeeping mission.
Yemen has tried to broker numerous peace deals between dozens of factions in Somalia over the years. Over a seafood feast for Frazer on Saturday, Yemeni Foreign Minister Abubakr Al-Qirbi offered some advice.
"We have many Somalis in Yemen and a long experience with them and there is one thing we have learned," he said. "If they have a fight, you don't get between them."
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Nairobi-based East Africa bureau chief Chris Tomlinson has visited and reported on Somalia since 2000.
