EE SOOMAALIYA SOMALIA

Bosaso, March 23,2000

To: H.E. Ismail Omar Guelleh

Subject: PUNTLAND STATE WITHDRAWS TRUST AND SUPPORT FOR

Excellencies,

 The State Government of Puntland of Somalia and its entire civil society have been in the forefront to support the on-going Djibouti (IGAD) Peace Initiative. The leadership of Puntland State has been busy openly and behind the scenes in mobilizing Somali masses, the diplomatic and international community to fully support the Peace Initiative. Under the direction of the State, the entire Somali Diaspora has been geared towards supporting the new Peace Initiative. Somali Peace Alliance composed of Puntland State of Somalia, RRA of Bay and Bakol Regions, Somali Consultative Council of Belet-Weyn (Central Somalia), Somali National Front of Gedo Region and Somali Patriotic Movement of Jubbaland Regions had conveyed officially their support to H.E. Ismail Omar Guelleh long before he launched his initiative at General Assembly of the United Nations.

 Since then many public rallies and press releases in support of the Djibouti Initiative had been conducted in Puntland State and among its Diaspora. Internet Networks and clubs among our Diaspora in support of the Djibouti Initiative have been multiplying.

 The State Government of Puntland has been lavish in advising the Djibouti leadership on the right course of action to enable her succeed in its endeavor. Djibouti Government seemed to be appreciative of the Puntland assistance.

Unfortunately, the Government of Djibouti had interpreted the overwhelming Somali public support as she had been given the mandate to take over the sovereignty of the Somali Republic and treated Somalis as citizens of Djibouti.

 The Djibouti Government has already committed serious intentional legal and political acts that undermines the very Peace Process she been sponsoring on behalf of the Somali people and the international community. This is Djibouti Three, keeping mind that both Djibouti One and Djibouti Two abysmally failed for the same reason. Djibouti Government has embarked upon the high road to re-invent its past mishandling of the Somali Peace Process.

Excellencies,

To mention just a few of the unacceptable acts committed by Djibouti with regards to this Initiative and her strange behavior, the leadership is in serious breach of:

1. Trust of the Somali people by hand-picking herself the delegates to the Preparatory Symposium and the so-called Elders and Wise men, an obvious indication that she will also nominate the delegates to the forthcoming Peace Congress, a situation unacceptable to Puntland State of Somalia.
2. Ignoring advice, legitimacy and concerns of the internationally recognized Building blocks (Regional Administrations) on the new Peace Initiative. By doing this, Djibouti betrayed the understanding she had reached earlier with Puntland State of Somalia and the Somali Peace Alliance (SPA).
3. Conducting the Peace Process in secrecy, keeping the Somali people and the entire international community in the dark, thus ignoring the need for transparency and communication.
4. Taking advice from the opponents of Building blocks and critics of regional leadership under the pretext of "Civil Society", most of whom are exiles for many years.
5. Violating the regional administrative structure of the Somali Republic by proposing and working towards re-making and re-inventing unfairly new districts based on bias to support certain Somali clans, a Djibouti syndrome known to the past participants in the Djibouti One and Djibouti Two of 1991.
6. Somali nationals had been barred to access the few documents that came out of the Djibouti Government. These documents were distributed in a restricted manner to only members of the diplomatic community and forums of foreign countries, not to Somalis.
7. Imposing inflexible time frame on conference procedures.
8. Imposing unilateral arbitrary decision on the future Seat of the Somali Government without allowing Somalis to negotiate among them.
9. The system of Government Somalis would like is their sole choice, not the choice of Djibouti or any other nation on earth.
10. Ignoring the issue of forcefully occupied lands and territories such as Lower Juba and Middle Juba and Lower Shabelle, and her mind-set to host both the occupier and the occupied on the same conference table without satisfying the basic principle of issuing a statement on the requirement of the occupiers to withdraw their loyal forces from occupied lands.
11. Finally, hijacking the Peace Process from the very rightful people whose fate and destiny was being decided: the Somalis.

Excellencies,

Such behavior of the Djibouti Government does not create a peaceful environment for national reconciliation and therefore will not be acceptable to the communities of Puntland State of Somalia and its allies. We believe that Djibouti mishandling of the new Peace Initiative will contribute more damage to the Somali national crisis since it’s geared towards the destruction of the Building-blocks and planting new seeds of contradictions, confrontation and mistrust among the Somali civil society. We are strongly convinced that the right course of any peace conference is to build upon what have been achieved already: The Regional Administrations, which restored peace, law and order that led to stability in the areas under their control. It is also important to note that Somalia is a sovereign nation and that hard-won right cannot be borrowed by any other country, Djibouti included.

The Puntland State Council of Ministers and Standing Committee of the House of Representatives, in separate meetings held in Bosaso on 19^th and 20^th of March 2000, therefore, reached unanimous decision to withdraw trust and support for the new Djibouti Peace Initiative on Somalia. Instead, the State Government of Puntland appeals to your Excellencies and the entire international community to persuade the leadership in Djibouti to discontinue the current Peace Initiative due to her lack of competence, fair play and neutrality among the Somali clans. This momentum in the Peace Process, however, should not be missed by considering other options in which the concept of Building blocks comes up as the best alternative and basis for future National Reconciliation Process.

Warmest regards, 

Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed

State President                                                                   Yusuf Haji Said