Boko Haram: Clinton urges strong security response, dialogue    

Boko Haram: Clinton urges strong security response, dialogue

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that Nigeria should develop a “strong, effective security response” to violent extremism in the country.

She made this statement at a news conference on Thursday alongside Nigerian Foreign Minister Olugbenga Ashiru.

According to her, “some terrorist and extremist groups are absolutely irreconcilable.  ; they cannot be convinced to end their violence and participate in society; but where there is an opportunity for any dialogue or outreach, we would support that,” she said. 

Condemnation

Again, the U.S. Secretary of State condemned last month's suicide bomb attack on UN office in Abuja, claimed by Boko Haram describing it as “absolutely unjustifiable.” 

“We think that its (Boko Haram) attacks on ordinary citizens, on institutions of the Nigerian state, on the UN office in Abuja, are absolutely unjustifiable; There is no set or principles or beliefs that can justify taking the lives of innocent people, and we offer our deepest condolences to all those families who have lost loved ones in these senseless attacks,'' she said

She also assured that the US would work with Nigeria and other countries in West Africa to improve security and to address the legitimate needs of people before extremists have a chance to exploit them.

Palestinian Statehood 

On the issue of the Palestinian request for statehood, Clinton urged Nigeria to prevail on Israel and Palestine to get back to the negotiating table.

Clinton said: “I had the opportunity to talk to President Jonathan, as did President Obama, last week at the United Nations General Assembly; We believe strongly, and we have certainly communicated that to the President and the Foreign minister, that the only route to a Palestinian state, which we want to see happen, is through negotiations.”

The US has indicated that it would veto any Security Council move to recognise Palestinian statehood, even though the Palestinian application is before the Security Council committee that deals with admission of new members. 

The US  and Israel insist that direct negotiation is the only way to achieve a stable Middle East and the Palestinian effort to secure UN recognition of statehood will not succeed. 

NAN/Ehimen/Iheanacho