- Title: [SW Country](UN, New York ) Statement by " Prime Minister" Dr.
Ali Khalif Galaydh, to the United Nations Security Council.
- Posted by/on:[AAJ][Thursday 11 January 2001]
Statement by "Prime
Minister" Dr. Ali Khalif Galaydh, to the United Nations Security Council.
New York, New York
Thursday 11 January 2001
Mr. President,
At the outset, I wish to express to you our deep gratitude for affording us this rare
opportunity today to be able to interact fully and openly with members of this body who,
no doubt, are all familiar with my Country’s bitter and horrifying past with the
United Nations; the long agony and suffering of the people – and; of course, the new
optimism and hopes pervading the Somali society. For us, Mr. President, this occasion
represents more than symbolic presence. It has far reaching importance, primarily
signifying the rebirth of the Somali nation, and its return into the fold of the community
of nations.
Mr. President,
This is the first time since the traumatic collapse of governance and law and order in
Somalia a decade ago that a legitimate representative of that nation is in your midst
today, thanks to the foresight and perseverance of the President Is mail Omar Guelleh and
the people of Djibouti. It is unprecedented in the history of conflict resolution for a
poor, small country, to undertake single-handedly, such a mammoth task for so long, under
strenuous financial and logistical strain. Unfortunately, international material support
that is readily available, under normal circumstances, to mediation efforts elsewhere, was
conspicuously lacking, as the process was seen as yet another futile attempt. What was not
comprehended, or fully appreciated, however, was that this process pursued an alternative,
novel approach; in effect, challenging the conventional wisdom of peace-making in Somalia.
The process was designed to embrace the whole Somali society, both inside and outside the
country, every region and every clan. It was comprehensive, inclusive, transparent, “excluding
no individual, group, sector or region.” It was a Somali-owned process, to say the
least.
Mr. President,
The Secretary-General’s unwavering commitment and support to the peace process are
deeply appreciated by our people. It is also important to extend our recognition to the
extraordinary role played by the United Nations Political Office on Somalia (UNPOS),
headed by Mr. David Stephen. We cannot thank enough the United Nations agencies, other
organizations and individuals carrying out humanitarian activities in all regions of
Somalia.
Similarly, this Council has been consistent in the reaffirmation of its commitment to a
comprehensive and lasting settlement of the situation in Somalia, bearing in mind respect
for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence and unity of
Somalia. The Council repeatedly expressed its concern for the illicit delivery of weapons
and military equipment to Somalia in violations of the arms embargo imposed by resolution
733 (1992) of 23 January 1992. To our dismay, however, this persistent call upon all
states to observer the arms embargo and to refrain from any action which might exacerbate
the situation seems to be falling on deaf ears, as I will elaborate on that later in my
statement. Moreover, this Council keenly followed the progress of the peace process at
Arta, Djibouti, and pronounced itself regularly, starting with its Statement of 12
November 1999, which, inter alia, stated:
“…… it welcomes the initiative of the President of Djibouti aimed at
restoring peace and stability in Somalia. It recognizes the call by the president of
Djibouti to the warlords to recognize fully and accepted the principle that the Somali
people are free to exercise their democratic right to choose their own regional and
national leaders.” And in its last major Statement of 29 June 2000, the Council urged
the warlords and faction leaders to desist from obstructing and undermining efforts to
achieve peace; and expressed further its readiness to consider taking appropriate steps
regarding the warlords and faction leaders who engaged in such activities. It also urged
States to stop providing these individuals with the means to carry on with their
destructive activities. Sadly, destructive activities in Somalia are not only encouraged,
but are fully supported externally by those opposed to the concept of a national
government in Somalia. Their desire is quite obvious – the disintegration of Somalia
into mini states that are weak and subject to external manipulation and pressure. The
facts are on the ground: the hosting and arming of opposition forces are growing at an
alarming rate. We are gravely concerned.
Mr. President,
The transitional national Government was conceived as an administration that fairly
represents the people for Somalia, pursues peace and reconciliation, and protects
individual rights, with liberty and justice for all, in accordance with the provision of
the interim Constitution.
Our people have sustained life without a government for a long time, not by choice, but
by the ruthlessness and vengeance of armed factions. Now, we are slowly but surely moving
from the “law of the gun” to law and order, sanity and stability. Let no one be
deluded though that the painful past would be healed in few months; it will take years.
Nor would disarmament and “effective” security be achieved in a fortnight in a
country where anarchy reigned so long, and particularly in the absence of a credible
international material and political support. Whatever it takes, however, we are
determined to overcome both internal and external resistance in order to restore hope and
normalcy to the nation. We have no choice but to press on until we succeed.
Mr. President,
The current report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Somalia offers both an
informative and comprehensive review of the sequence of events in the peace process at
Arta, Djibouti, leading to the formation of national institutions, including a
Transitional National Government (TNG). It provides full account of the goodwill missions
the government sent abroad, particularly to the neighbouring countries; the regional and
international organizations which Somalia rejoined and took its rightful place. It also
confirms the relentless efforts of the new government toward improving security through
the demobilization of militia. Indeed the report further recalls the request put to the
Council by the President of Djibouti on 14 September 2000 on the need to establish a
post-conflict peace-building mission for Somalia. While we share in general the concerns
raised about security, we fail to understand, however, about the implication for a “100
per cent security guarantee” prior to proposing a mission.
This is tantamount to "zero tolerance" on security when it comes to Somalia,
unlike other conflict situations in Africa and elsewhere. We believe this is not only an
impossible conditionality, but encourages, perhaps unwittingly, those who are bent upon
the perpetuation of violence and anarchy. Let me also be emphatic that there is only one
single legal authority in Somalia – the one brought about through the will of the
people.
There are administrative regions that have maintained relative peace and stability and
the TNG is committed to engage the leadership of these administrative regions in
constructive and peaceful dialogue. At this juncture it is important to note that the
administrative regions are well represented in the government and parliament and that the
majority of the people residing in the said regions are for the reconstituting of a united
and democratic Somali State whose administrative and political arrangements reflect the
demand for devolution, decentralization, justice and the rule of law. The TNG is equally
committed to engage the groups who did not participate in Arta in peaceful dialogue. The
TNG is willing to sit down and negotiate in good faith with those who are outside the Arta
framework whenever they are ready. In case they opt not to enter into a constructive
dialogue, national reconciliation and the aspiration of the Somali people for peace,
stability and economic progress should not be held hostage by those who are opposed to
peace.
Be that as it may, the TNG is committed to shoulder its responsibilities with respect
to peace and security and I am here to renew once again the legitimate and general request
for a post conflict peace-building mission in support of the crucial tasks ahead of us in
the months and years to come. Without the material and political support by this Council,
entrusted with the maintenance of international peace and security, Somalia cannot do it
alone.
We are struggling on our own so far against formidable challenges; some imposed on us;
some inherited – like an empty coffer, institutional paralysis, and proliferation of
small arms in the hands of enemies of peace. Without a doubt, our biggest problem is
demobilization of militia – how to collect their arms, and transform this lost
generation into peaceful, decent and law abiding people. To be able to restore peace fully
in Mogadishu, there is a need for rehabilitating at least twenty thousand militia members
in and around the city. The government has so far been able to encamp about six thousand
militias and former members of the police force. The task of reintegrating militias into
the society entails financial burden – for providing basic and civil education, and
vocational training. Progress in demobilization is vital if the Transitional Government is
to be able to create a stable government for rebuilding the country’s infrastructure
and basic services like healthcare, education, and the justice system.
The TNG has launched a program of re-establishing the police force in Mogadishu.
Hundred policemen have been deployed for each station. Moreover, the government has
succeeded in re-instituting the regional administration of Banadir region and the
establishment of the municipal structure for the city. The re-establishing of these
structures has resulted in the consolidation of law and order in the capital and its
surroundings.
Mr. President,
Allow me to turn to an issue, which is causing us a great deal of concern. It pertains
to our relations with Ethiopia. Our bilateral relations have not been models of good
neighbourliness. We fought two wars and engaged in many border skirmishes over the past
forty years. But since the collapse of the Somali State, Ethiopia has welcomed hundreds of
thousands of Somali refugees. Ethiopia has been actively involved in the reconciliation
and the search for peace among the Somali factions. Ethiopia has been supportive of IGAD
initiative of Arta.
Because of the hosting of the refugees, the allowing of thousands who have transited
via Addis Ababa, and the apparent support for bringing back peace and stability to
Somalia, there has been a sea-change in the attitude of the Somali people towards
Ethiopia. Truly positive and warm sentiments have been held and expressed by the great
majority of Somalis. The expectation has been that once a Somali State was reconstituted
there will be a historic opportunity to usher in a new era of solidarity, cooperation and
mutual respect.
Soon after the completion of the Arte conference we heard of Ethiopian concerns about
the presence of Islamic fundamentalists who posed a security threat to Ethiopia. We heard
of Ethiopia holding firmly to the “Building Blocs” approach with respect to the
continuation of the Arta peace process. We heard of Ethiopia being critical of our search
for international recognition and legitimacy rather than focusing on engaging and
accommodating those who were not part of Arta.
The expression of concerns, with good will, can be addressed and the reasonable advice
of an important neighbour is to be given serious consideration. Two delegations, one led
by President Abdiqasim Salad Hassan, and an envoy went to Addis Ababa to address the
stated concerns of Ethiopia to focus on the re-establishing of relations and to explore
the ways and means of building cooperative bilateral arrangements. Further, a delegation
led by President Abdiqasim Salad Hassan participated in the IGAD Summit Conference in
Khartoum and had extensive discussions with the Ethiopian leadership.
The TNG believes firmly that it has addressed the stated Ethiopian concerns adequately.
Unfortunately our concerns which are becoming more and more serious are not being
acknowledged let alone addressed. The facts on the ground are the following:
- Ethiopia has been occupying towns in the Gedo Region – Bulo Hawo, Dolo and Lugh
– since 1996. The presence of Ethiopian forces has been increasing more recently and
the civilian population is being subjected to systematic intimidation and detention.
Fourteen prominent local personalities were the latest to be detained in the last few
days;
- Contrary to Security Council resolutions Ethiopia is giving arms, ammunitions, and
supplies to groups opposed to the TNG, including a group based in Mogadishu;
- Ethiopia is aggressively recruiting, training and arming militias in Gedo, Middle Juba,
Lower Juba, Bay, Bakool and Hiran;
- In pursuing its "Building Blocs" policy, Ethiopia is orchestrating from Godey
the creation of yet another administrative entity – the so-called South West State,
and
- Ethiopia is carrying out a diplomatic and media campaign against Arta and the TNG.
Mr. President,
We believe that it is in Somalia’s interest to have good relations with Ethiopia.
We believe that there is a need to contribute to the collective security and peace of the
countries of the Horn. We believe that it is not yet too late to enter into serious
discussion and to provide the vision, courage and creativity that our peoples, who have
suffered enormously in the past two decades, are now demanding of the political leaders of
the two countries. Somalia is ready to seize the present historic opportunity to establish
and nurture an excellent relationship with out neighbour Ethiopia.
Mr. President,
To conclude, I am looking forward to your Presidential Statement on Somalia which will
support the Arta outcome and the efforts of the TNG in issues pertaining to security,
humanitarian assistance, rehabilitation and reconstruction. The withdrawal of foreign
troops from the country, the putting in place of a Trust Fund and the despatch of a modest
peace building mission to Somalia are the areas that need urgent action.
Thank you very much Mr. President and Your Excellencies for affording me this special
opportunity to address you.
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