A U.N. Security Council statement on Friday demanded that all parties withdraw from fighting around Baidoa, Somalia, the seat of the weak transitional government. The council called on all parties to refrain from any actions that could provoke or perpetuate violence and violations of human rights, contribute to unnecessary tension and mistrust, endanger the cease-fire and political process, or further damage the humanitarian situation, council president and Qatari Ambassador Nassir al-Nasser said. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is deeply concerned that the escalation of conflict in Somalia will have disastrous consequences for civilians, who are already suffering from the effects of years of instability and deprivation, said U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
