
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, October 11, 1993                   TAG: 9310110052
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: From the Los Angeles Times and The Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

U.S. STRESSES SOMALIAN PEACE PLAN

The Clinton administration tried Sunday to clarify its new policy of seeking Somali warlord Mohammed Farah Aidid's cooperation instead of his arrest, but leading members of Congress were still dissatisfied with the explanations.

Secretary of State Warren Christopher and Defense Secretary Les Aspin, going public with a policy shift that had been signaled privately before, said the United States is no longer actively seeking Aidid's arrest and will leave his fate to an inquiry run by the presidents of other African countries.

"The focus has shifted," Christopher said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "The focus is now on trying to get a political settlement in the area."

Both Christopher and Aspin said they would not rule out arresting Aidid For updated information on this story, call InfoLine and enter code 2026. if the Somali clan chief somehow fell into the hands of U.N. forces.

But Aspin made it clear the United States is no longer actively working toward that goal. "We have a different set of priorities," he said on ABC's "This Week with David Brinkley." "We are not ruling out anything, but we are doing different things" besides seeking Aidid's capture.

That was not clear enough for Senate Armed Services Chairman Sam Nunn, D-Ga., and other congressional leaders, however.

"I think we have to clear up some ambiguities," Nunn said. "We need to tell our military exactly what it is we want them to do and what they should not be doing."

An ABC News poll released Sunday found that 68 percent of the public agrees, saying President Clinton has "no clear policy" in Somalia.

Sens. Bill Bradley, D-N.J., and John McCain, R-Ariz., said they would continue pressing for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces from the area.

In Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, thousands demonstrated Sunday in support of Aidid. The demonstration coincided with the arrival of Robert Oakley, a former Bush administration official who is seeking a diplomatic solution.

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by CNB