Somalia’s new leaders aim to train and equip a professional army of around 28,000 soldiers within three years but are hamstrung by a lack of cash, Abdihakim Fiqi said during a trip to London to drum up donor support.

“The arms embargo was lifted almost two months ago and we haven’t received a single bullet or one single AK-47 or gun. Nothing. Because of lack of resources,” Fiqi told the Royal United Services Institute defense think tank in London.

The Horn of Africa nation is only just emerging from two decades of civil war, and is struggling to rebuild a country riven by clan divisions and whose infrastructure and institutions are in tatters.

A newly appointed parliament last year elected a new president, the first vote of its kind since the toppling of former military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.

In recognition of the legitimacy of Somalia’s new leadership, the United Nations in March partially lifted an arms embargo on Somalia, allowing it to buy light weapons.

Somali forces currently number in the low thousands, and are a poorly equipped and fragmented mixture of state troops and militias struggling to battle al Shabaab Islamist militants, who want to impose their brand of Islamic law on Somalia.

“For the last four months our soldiers are just sitting back not doing anything. Al Shabaab are fighting them, engaging them, attacking them. They are just in the defense position … due to a lack of weapons and ammunition,” Fiqi said.

African Union peacekeepers have been largely responsible for pushing al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab out of the capital Mogadishu and other urban centers in the past two years, but the group is still able to launch major attacks, including a suicide bombing on Sunday that killed at least eight people.

Fiqi declined to give an estimate for the number al Shabaab fighters remaining, but said due to a lack of funding the group was mired in “leadership wrangling”, and was “increasingly weakening, contained and losing ground every day”.

However, al Shabaab is highly mobile, a reason why Somalia aims to build an army made up of agile light infantry units.

“Our national security stabilization plan indicates up to 28,000 soldiers within three years,” Fiqi said, putting the cost of raising such an army at about $160 million.

The minister is part of a Somali delegation that includes President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, that attended a conference on Somalia in London on Tuesday to drum up donor funding.

(Reporting by Mohammed Abbas; Editing by Michael Roddy)

Somalia’s government is seeking to impose stability in a country ravaged by two decades of civil war, lawlessness and famine, and by its own admission it needs help from outside to rebuild decimated infrastructure and institutions.

At the end of the London summit Britain committed around 180 million pounds ($279 million), including funding for a planned doubling of the police force, and the United States donated $40 million on top of the $1.5 billion it has given since 2009.

Britain, which recently opened a makeshift embassy in the Somali capital Mogadishu protected by two blast walls, also said it would supply military experts to bolster security forces seeking to stamp out Islamic insurgents.

The country is enjoying a delicate recovery but relies heavily on others for its security.

An African Union military offensive weakened the al Qaeda-linked Islamist rebel group al Shabaab and piracy in key sea lanes off Somalia is at an all-time low thanks largely to a foreign naval presence.

“New terrorist threats have emerged in parts of Africa,” British Prime Minister David Cameron said at the end of the summit. “Radicalism is poisoning young Somali minds and breeding terrorism and extremism.

“This is a threat to our security, and if we ignore it, we will be making the same mistakes in Somalia that we made in Afghanistan in the 1990s,” he added.

BEGINNING OF NEW SOMALIA

British officials did not say when the military experts, or how many, would go to Somalia. Some of the British money is earmarked for doubling police numbers to about 12,000, and some for rebuilding the Mogadishu’s main prison.

Cash is also earmarked for training judges and creating mobile courts to tour lawless areas of the country.

And Britain will help boost radio communications on the Somali coast to combat piracy that the World Bank has estimated costs the world economy $18 billion despite the dramatic drop in incidents so far this year.

Speaking alongside Cameron, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said Somalia had been given a chance to prove it could become a stable, inclusive, law-abiding country.

“We will prove in the eyes of the world that we will deliver … It’s the beginning of a new Somalia,” he said.

The conference took place at what organizers called a “pivotal” moment, after new parliamentarians were appointed last year who elected Mohamud. The vote was the first of its kind since military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was toppled in 1991.

While lauding improved stability in Somalia, speakers urged caution. On Sunday a suicide bomber attacked a convoy carrying Qatari officials in Mogadishu, killing at least eight Somalis. The attack was later claimed by al Shabaab.

Somalia also must integrate the breakaway district of Somaliland and semi-autonomous Puntland region into a federal structure, ahead of elections scheduled for 2016. Somaliland boycotted the conference and Puntland said it was not invited.

Cameron played down the boycott, saying he had “very good” discussions with the Somaliland president recently. Mohamud said he had listened to the concerns of all “stakeholders” in Somalia ahead of the conference.

More than 50 delegates and organizations attended the conference, including Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, who faces charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court related to allegations of orchestrating election violence.

Britain justified Kenyatta’s presence due to Kenya’s importance in helping to stabilize neighbor Somalia. Cameron’s office confirmed he met Kenyatta, but declined to say if it was a formal meeting or on the summit sidelines.

Kenyatta’s office said they had formal bilateral talks and that Cameron was keen to boost British trade with Kenya.

(Reporting by Mohammed Abbas; Additional reporting by Edmund Blair and Richard Lough in Nairobi; editing by Mike Collett-White)

Britain will also spend millions of dollars on bolstering Somalia’s security forces, Cameron said at the opening of a major London conference on Somalia aimed at bolstering stability after two decades of lawlessness and civil war.

Delegates hope to find ways to back Somali plans to strengthen its army, judiciary and other institutions, and will also be asked to pledge aid for reconstruction.

“I am pleased that Britain will commit 10 million pounds ($15.5 million) to help develop Somalia’s armed forces and 14.5 million pounds to double the number of police officers and train judges and lawyers,” Cameron said.

“Britain will also support the new maritime strategy enabling full radio connection all along the entire coastline for the first time in 20 years,” he added.

Although piracy is down by 80 percent this year with no vessel attacked so far, Cameron said, the World Bank estimated in an April report that piracy emanating from the Horn of Africa nation may still cost the world economy $18 billion a year.

Speaking to the conference, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud called for international support, and tied security in Somalia to that of the region and the “removal of the piracy stranglehold” on the Gulf of Aden.

“It will be a Somali-owned solution that will fix Somalia, but no country has ever recovered from such social and economic collapse without the help of the world,” he said.

“And so in partnership with our endeavors, we respectfully ask for your total and unflinching commitment, partnership and support.”

“PIVOTAL MOMENT”

The conference is taking place during what organizers call a “pivotal” moment for Somalia, after new parliamentarians were appointed last year who went on to elect Mohamud.

The vote was the first of its kind since the toppling of military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, which left Somalia at the mercy of warlords and later radical Islamists, while its coasts became notorious pirate havens.

A draft of the final communiqué seen by Reuters calls on the international community to “consolidate progress quickly”.

“I was in Somalia in 1992 in the deepest of starvation, the deepest of mass death, and for me to go there now and meet with a government which has legitimacy … is something that we on the outside world would want to support,” U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson told Reuters on the eve of the summit.

Cameron and Mohamud will hold a joint news briefing at the end of the conference at 1515 GMT.

While lauding improved stability in Somalia, Cameron and Eliasson stressed that major challenges remain. On Sunday a suicide bomber attacked a convoy carrying Qatari officials in Mogadishu, killing at least eight Somalis.

The attack was claimed by the al Qaeda-linked Islamist rebel group al Shabaab, which wants to impose their version of Islamic law but has been pushed out of bases in the capital and other major towns by African peacekeepers.

Somalia’s leadership also must integrate the breakaway district of Somaliland and semi-autonomous Puntland region into a federal structure, ahead of national elections scheduled for 2016. Representatives of both regions are not expected to attend the London conference.

Eliasson said he hoped improved stability and security in state-controlled areas would draw the separatist districts towards the government, and played down the prospect of international recognition of an independent Somaliland.

Somalia’s humanitarian needs are still huge, and U.N. bodies estimate aid requirements will reach $1.33 billion this year, an increase on last year due to improved access to deprived areas.

(Reporting by Mohammed Abbas; Additional reporting by Edmund Blair and Richard Lough in Nairobi; editing by Mike Collett-White)

Deputy U.N. Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said the United Nations wanted to shift more of its efforts into development projects and away from humanitarian aid as Somalia begins to recover from years of lawlessness, violence and famine.

“The main reason we have hope now, more than ever …. is we now have a leadership which has a sense of responsibility,” Eliasson told Reuters in London.

“I was in Somalia in 1992 in the deepest of starvation, the deepest of mass death, and for me to go there now and meet with a government which has legitimacy … is something that we on the outside world would want to support,” he added.

Eliasson was speaking a day before the conference which is aimed at bolstering stability in Somalia, raising pledges of aid and signaling international support for Somalia’s new president, who was elected last year.

The vote was the first of its kind since toppling of military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, which had left Somalia at the mercy of warlords and later radical Islamists, while its coasts became notorious as a haven for pirates.

British Prime Minister David Cameron and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud will hold a joint news briefing at the end of the conference on Tuesday at 1515 GMT.

While security has improved in Mogadishu, on Sunday a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden car into a convoy carrying Qatari officials, killing at least eight Somalis.

The attack was claimed by the al Qaeda-linked Islamist rebel group al Shabaab, which wants to impose their version of Islamic law, but has been pushed out of bases in the capital and other major towns by African peacekeepers.

“The trend is positive, but it has been interrupted, and it might still be interrupted by sporadic attacks of the nature we have seen. Al Shabaab are still a threat,” Eliasson said.

Somalia’s leadership also must integrate the breakaway district of Somaliland and semi-autonomous Puntland region into a federal structure. Representatives of both regions are not expected to attend the London conference.

Eliasson said he hoped improved stability and security in state-controlled areas would draw the separatist districts towards the government, and played down the prospect of international recognition of an independent Somaliland.

“There is very high sensitivity in Africa, and also in the world, of nations splitting along ethnic, sectarian, clan lines … I have seen no signs of an increase in the interest of recognizing Somaliland,” he said.

PIVOTAL MOMENT

A draft of the final communique for the London conference seen by Reuters said the meeting was taking place at a “pivotal” moment for Somalia, and calls on the international community to “consolidate progress quickly”.

Somali officials are expected to outline plans for Somalia’s security forces, justice sector and other institutions, and agree with global partners on how they can back those plans.

New donors are to be encouraged to come forward at the conference, to which more than 50 countries and organizations have been invited, and existing donors will be called on to honor earlier pledges.

Concerns remain over corruption, however, and while the draft communique recognizes the “urgent need” for financial support, it underscores the need for the government to demonstrate financial accountability and transparency.

Somalia’s humanitarian needs are still huge, and U.N. bodies estimate aid requirements will cost $1.33 billion this year, an increase on last year due to improved access to deprived areas.

(Reporting by Mohammed Abbas; Additional reporting by Edmund Blair and Richard Lough in Nairobi; Editing by Michael Roddy)

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan’s visit poses a delicate diplomatic challenge for Cameron who has already expressed concern about the torture accusations but is keen to boost lucrative trade and strategically important diplomatic relations in the Gulf. The two men are due to meet on Wednesday.

The three Britons, who were jailed in the UAE for four years on Monday for drug offences, said police beat them and threatened them with guns, allegations the police deny. Cameron has called for an inquiry.

Making matters tricky for Cameron is the UAE’s status as a key destination for British arms and other exports.

Hanging in the balance is the fate of a British bid to sell BAE Systems-backed Eurofighter Typhoon jets to the UAE, on which a decision is expected soon, and an energy deal expected to be signed on Wednesday with Emirati energy firm Masdar.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the torture issue. The Foreign Office said in a statement: “We remain concerned by the allegations of mistreatment on arrest and continue to raise these with the UAE authorities.”

New-York-based Human Rights Watch, which labels the UAE’s human rights record “increasingly poor”, said economic considerations should not stop Cameron pressing Sheikh Khalifa on the issue.

“David Cameron once promised that he would ‘stand against … regimes that persecute their people,’ so let’s see him do that for these men who have made serious allegations of torture in the UAE,” the rights group’s Sarah Leah Whitson said.

“The UAE has become a country where people who speak their mind get locked up, and those who get locked up face torture.”

Tensions between the West and Iran have increased the strategic importance of the UAE and other states that face the Islamic Republic across the Gulf.

Rights groups accuse Western nations of softening their criticism of abuses in allied Gulf states, including Bahrain, where crackdowns on pro-democracy protests in recent months have garnered a relatively muted response.

(Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

The ruling comes at a bad time for Prime Minister David Cameron and Home Secretary (interior minister) Theresa May, who in the past week have promised to get tough on immigration and ramp up efforts to deport foreigners in Britain illegally.

Qatada, once described by a Spanish judge as “Osama bin Laden’s right-hand man in Europe”, has been in and out of jail since first being arrested in 2001 and is wanted in his native Jordan where he was convicted of terrorism charges in 1999.

His sermons were found in a Hamburg flat used by some of those involved in the 9/11 attacks on the United States in 2001.

Attempts to extradite him have been hampered by concerns evidence to be used in an expected retrial in Jordan may have been obtained through torture, making his deportation illegal under European law.

May’s legal team have argued he is a “truly dangerous” individual who has escaped expulsion only through errors of law, and appealed a decision by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) in November blocking his deportation.

But at the Court of Appeal, three judges unanimously rejected the government’s argument.

“The court recognizes that (Abu Qatada) is regarded as a very dangerous person but emphasizes that this is not a relevant consideration under the applicable Convention law,” the court said, referring to the European Convention on Human Rights.

“SIAC was entitled to conclude that there is a real risk that the impugned statements will be admitted in evidence at a retrial and that, in consequence, there is a real risk of a flagrant denial of justice,” the court added.

The Home Office, which has sought diplomatic assurances from Jordan to ensure he would receive a fair trial there, said it would continue its fight to get him deported.

“This is not the end of the road, and the government remains determined to deport Abu Qatada,” it said in a statement.

“We will consider this judgment carefully and plan to seek leave to appeal. In the meantime we continue to work with the Jordanians to address the outstanding legal issues preventing deportation,” the statement said.

Qatada was sent back to jail earlier this month for breaching bail conditions prohibiting the use of mobile phones and other communications equipment in his house.

The fresh blow to the government’s efforts to get rid of Qatada could add to pressure on Cameron from within his restive Conservative Party and from Britain’s increasingly eurosceptic public to withdraw from European legal treaties.

The unemployed cleric has also become a symbol of alleged immigration policy failures in Britain’s rightwing media, who highlight the thousands of pounds given to him in legal aid and the cash-strapped government’s costly efforts to deport him.

(Editing by Jason Webb)

Britain and France are pushing for the EU ban to be eased to allow a flow of arms to outgunned rebels waging a two-year-old uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but several EU countries and Russia oppose the move.

“The French president is concerned and I am concerned that we should not be restricted for months and months ahead when we don’t know exactly what could happen in Syria, including the very worrying reports of use of chemical weapons,” British Prime Minister David Cameron told parliament.

On Tuesday the Syrian government and rebel forces accused each other of launching a chemical attack near the northern city of Aleppo that killed 25 people. Western powers say they are investigating whether chemical weapons were used.

The current arms embargo is part of a package of sanctions on Syria that expires on June 1, but Britain and France have pushed to review the ban earlier.

Both countries tried in vain to convince other EU leaders to relax the embargo at a European Council meeting last week, and EU foreign ministers are expected to discuss the issue further this weekend.

“I felt (while) sitting round the European Council chamber, there was a slight similarity between some of the arguments being made about not putting more weapons into Syria, that seemed to me very familiar to the discussions we had about Bosnia, and the appalling events that followed,” Cameron said.

Thousands of Muslim men and boys were killed in the Srebrenica massacre during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war, deaths many blamed on inaction by the international community.

Assad is widely believed to have a chemical weapons arsenal.

Syrian officials have neither confirmed nor denied this but have said that if it existed it would be used to defend against foreign aggression, not against Syrians. There have been no previous reports of chemical weapons in the hands of insurgents.

Cameron acknowledged concern from opposition Labour party leader Ed Miliband about a lack of unity and al Qaeda-allied fighters in the Syrian rebel ranks. But he said Britain should still help build a “legitimate and credible” Syrian opposition.

British officials hope the supply of arms to military officers allied to the opposition Syrian National Coalition will give them more leverage to better control largely uncoordinated insurgents on the ground.

In Paris, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told lawmakers that there would be no change on the ground in Syria if the balance of power did not change.

“When we look at the situation today, Assad is refusing to move because he controls the air, enabling him to indiscriminately bomb the resistance while Russia is resting on this refusal to budge,” Fabius said.

He said that the same mistakes made in Libya where weapons were allowed to spread across the region after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 would not be made in Syria.

“Obviously, we have to be sure from those who will receive weapons that they will not be used against us,” he told parliament. “We are working to ensure that.”

(Additional reporting by John Irish in Paris; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

With China no byword for luxury fashion, the British arm of
Bosideng International Holdings is striving to change
perceptions and improve awareness of its high-end brand.

The company is a mass market player at home, where it has
8,000 retail outlets. In the West, it is seeking with its wool
blazers and dark suits to place itself alongside brands such as
Hugo Boss and Ted Baker.

Wayne Zhu, chief executive of Bosideng’s British operations,
said the 35 million pound ($53 million) store in an upmarket
district of London’s West End had been well received since it
opened last year.

“We’re at the early stage, but we did see some initial
success. Our designs were well received by the industry and
customers and we have seen sales picking up month by month,” Zhu
said on the sidelines of a China-Britain business conference.

British retail sales grew at their strongest annual rate in
almost two years last month, the jump bolstered partly by demand
for big-ticket items, while clothing sales rose at their fastest
pace in five months, industry data showed.

Experts see growing interest in niche luxury brands and even
big names such as Gucci are doing well, with owner PPR
last month posting forecast-beating annual profits.

Bosideng wants to enlist a brand ambassador in Britain and
is looking at the fields of film, music and sport.

Zhu said the company was looking at long-term goals rather
than immediate profits and that UK sales so far had been in line
with expectations.

“It’s a strategic move for the company. When we made a
decision it’s to look at the future, the next five to 10 years,
not the next one or two years, in which the store may not be
profitable,” he said.

“The next potential is New York. The New York office is
actively looking for property … potentially Fifth Avenue,” Zhu
said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said arming Syria’s opposition would be against international law, a day after Britain said it might bypass a European Union arms embargo to do just that, and accused the rebel side of failing to provide negotiators to find a political solution to the conflict.

“International law does not permit the supply of arms to non-governmental actors and our point of view is that it is a violation of international law,” Lavrov told a news conference in London via a translator.

The meeting of Lavrov, British foreign minister William Hague and the British and Russian defense ministers was aimed at improving the often frosty ties between the two countries.

Hague reiterated his wish for U.N. Security Council-backed measures against President Bashar al-Assad, but said he had not reached agreement on the issue with Lavrov, whose country has repeatedly blocked such action in the past.

Hague repeated that he did not rule out arming Syria’s outgunned rebels, a stance apparently backed by France, which on Tuesday said it was difficult to deny the rebels arms while Syria’s government was being supplied with weapons.

Russia has been a major supplier of weapons to the Syria state, and insists Assad’s departure should not be a precondition of any peace talks, as demanded by rebels.

“We’ve never ruled out anything in the future, we don’t know how grave this situation will become,” Hague said.

“Anything that we do and any development in our policy … will be legal and will be clearly stated to our country and to the international community.”

Lavrov insisted the only way to solve the crisis was through dialogue, and pointed to a U.N. communique issued in Geneva last year which called for the formation of a transitional governing body and for all Syrian factions to engage in talks.

“The opposition has not yet accepted the communique as the foundation for the negotiations. The regime has said that they shaped a committee for negotiations … the opposition has not shaped such a team yet,” Lavrov said.

“DANGEROUS AND EFFECTIVE” ISLAMISTS

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said on Wednesday no EU government had proposed lifting the bloc’s arms embargo to arm the opposition.

The embargo is part of a package of EU sanctions on Syria that roll over every three months, with the last extension unanimously agreed by the EU last month. Without another agreement to renew or amend the ban, the embargo lapses.

Germany has warned that arming the rebels could destabilize other countries in the volatile region.

Lavrov said the “most dangerous and effective” anti-Assad group in Syria was the al Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front.

“The Americans have included this group in the list of terrorist organizations, and this decision … provoked indignation in one of the National Coalition members of Syria. Let us just keep that in mind when we are discussing Syria,” he said.

The two-year-old conflict started out as a pro-democracy movement, but has descended into an increasingly sectarian war. Some 70,000 people have been killed and more than one million refugees have fled the violence.

(Additional reporting by Adrian Croft and Justyna Pawlak in Brussels; editing by Andrew Roche)

Britain warned that it could break with the embargo altogether, which requires unanimous agreement by the EU’s 27 members to take effect, while France hinted it would push to get the bloc to agree to amend the ban to allow the supply of arms.

The arms embargo is part of a package of EU sanctions on Syria that currently roll over every three months, with the last extension unanimously agreed by the EU last month and which came into effect on March 1.

Without unanimous agreement to either renew or amend the ban in three months’ time, the embargo lapses.

“I hope that we can persuade our European partners, if and when a further change becomes necessary, they will agree with us,” Cameron told a parliamentary committee when asked whether Britain could “veto” the embargo.

“But if we can’t, then it’s not out of the question we might have to do things in our own way. It’s possible,” he added.

Britain has not explicitly said it wants to arm the rebels, but repeatedly has said it does not rule out the option, depending on events on the ground.

In France, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said “a new balance of power” has to be created in Syria.

“We understand the idea of not adding weapons to weapons, but that position doesn’t work in the face of reality it and that (reality) is that the opposition is bombarded by others who are getting weapons while they are not. It’s a difficult position to keep,” he said.

France and Britain accuse Assad of gambling on a military victory against his opponents, and hope the threat of giving the rebels arms will force him into talks and a transition of power.

After weeks of wrangling last month, Britain pushed for and won EU agreement to relax the embargo to allow non-lethal but quasi-military aid such as body armor and armored vehicles to be supplied to the rebels.

However, Britain and France say more must be done, while Germany has warned that giving the rebels with arms could lead to a proliferation of weapons in the volatile region and spark a proxy war.

Fabius said France would take steps on the embargo issue in the coming days without specifying what would be done.

According a senior French official who spoke on condition of anonymity, anti-aircraft missiles are among those weapons being considered for supply to rebel fighters in Syria.

BOLSTER THE MODERATES

Critics of the plan are alarmed at the growing number of Islamists in the rebel ranks, some affiliated to al Qaeda, and are also concerned about the ability of the Syrian National Coalition opposition group to control fighters on the ground.

Addressing concerns about weapons falling into the wrong hands, a Foreign Office official said Britain was confident of the moderate credentials of those it planned to help.

“We’re talking to the opposition constantly about a whole range of support and we know who the people we want to work with are … It’s important to bolster the moderate elements of the opposition. We know who these are,” the official told Reuters.

Britain, which has called the crisis in Syria a “catastrophe”, has warned that the longer it continues, the more likely it is to attract radical Islamists.

The two-year-old conflict started out as pro-democracy protests, but has since descended into an increasingly sectarian war between rebels mainly from Syria’s Sunni Muslim majority and forces loyal to Assad, who follows the Alawite faith derived from Shi’ite Islam.

Some 70,000 people have been killed and more than one million refugees have fled the violence.

(Additional reporting by Peter Griffiths; Editing by Michael Roddy)