Minister, thank you for your reply. The situation in Somalia is of course unacceptable to all of us, and it is clear that we in South Africa, like our fellow Africans all over the continent, would like to see a peaceful outcome. Surely, Minister, the costs of logistics of peacekeeping are far beyond anything the AU can afford. Surely, the AU troops as well as our troops are stressed financially.
My question is whether we are prepared to actively engage the United States to contribute financially to assist the African Union and South Africa, and if needs be, to cover the costs of these operations?