Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon recommended Wednesday the Security Council not to deploy UN force for Somali. He said such a deployment could exacerbate the country's conflict.

Instead he called for the United Nations to continue strengthening the African Union force now in Somalia's capital, while helping the weak government strengthen itself.

The Security Council adopted a resolution in December with an intention to establish a U.N. peacekeeping mission in Somalia to replace the African Union force. The Council asked Ban for his recommendations and a report on the latest situation in the country.

The deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping operation directly at this country would be a high-risk option, Ban said.

The insertion of international security forces in Somali remains a divisive and politicized issue with the potential to exacerbate the conflict, he added.

Somalia has not had a functioning government since the ouster of a longtime dictator in 1991. The country had been continuing fighting among clan warlords and an Islamic insurgency that has killed thousands of civilians and forced hundreds of thousands to flee from homes.

Nearly half the population of 7 million is dependent on aid and piracy has become rampant off its coast.

If a UN peacekeeping force is deployed now, it would be highly added momentum to the insurgency and detract from the political process. Ban said in a report to the Council.

Ban Somalia