- [SW Country] ( The East African & Arab News) (Somali) Peace
Talks: Aiming for a Win-Win Situation
- Abdi Qassim
Salad Hassan - The TNG has only received $20,800,000 from three Arab
countries : Posted on 21 Feb 2003
Somali President Seeks Financial Help From
Arab League
Salad F. Duhul, Special to Arab News
JEDDAH, 20 February 2003 — Somali President Abdi Qassim
Salad Hassan on Tuesday asked the Arab League for financial
support for his war-torn country.
Somalia is an AL member state. “Two years ago, the Arab
summit conference approved more than $400 million to rebuild
the country but the money is still not forthcoming,” he
told Arab News after performing Haj.
He pointed out that the Transitional National Government
does not have the necessary international financial help.
“The absence of international assistance has minimized the
efforts of the TNG to provide basic social and economic
services.”
The TNG has only received $20,800,000 from three Arab
countries. The funds have been provided by Saudi Arabia ($15
million), Qatar ($3 million) and Libya ($2,800,000). The
money is insufficient to cover the country’s basic needs.
Asked about US charges that local Al-Qaeda affiliates
exist in Somalia, the president said that Washington had
accepted that no terrorist groups are in the country. After
Sept. 11, the United States government accused the Somali
group, Al-Ittihad Al-Islamia, of having links to Al-Qaeda.
Since then, US-led coalition warships have been stationed in
the Red Sea and in the Indian Ocean to monitor maritime
traffic. US reconnaissance planes have oveflown the region
and the country.
“US government officials and media reporters have
visited the whole country. They visited Shimbirale and Ras
Kamboni villages where terrorist elements reportedly had
training camps. The US government has confirmed that it
understands that no terrorist groups exist in Somalia.
Washington has also told us that it will support
reconciliation efforts, restoring a lasting peace and
forming a broad based government in Somalia,” he said.
Speaking about the end of TNG’s mandate, which will
expire in August, Salad said, “If the present Somali peace
talks in Kenya fail, the TNG will organize another peace
conference inside the country. We have met with some of our
opponents. We also wrote to the leader of the northern
region of Puntland, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, who indicated he
would accept our offer to hold peace talks in the
country.”
Asked about the relations of his administration with
Kenya and Ethiopia, Salad said, “Kenya has a large number
of Somali refugees. Our relations with Kenya are normal. The
former Kenyan president hosted the peace talks and the
reconciliation conference. I hope that the new Kenyan
president will follow in his footsteps.”
He added, “All TNG efforts to exert control throughout
the country were impeded by continuous Ethiopian
intervention. Ethiopia supplies large quantities of arms and
ammunition to the warlords, and spreads baseless propaganda
against the administration.”
Feb 20, 03 - Arab News
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(Somali) Peace Talks: Aiming for a Win-Win Situation
Story Filed: Wednesday, February 19, 2003 5:58 PM EST
Nairobi, Feb 17, 2003 (The East African/All Africa Global Media via
COMTEX) -- Retired Ambassador BETHWEL KIPLAGAT took over from Elijah
Mwangale as Kenya's Special Envoy to Somalia
on January 18. He comes in just as Phase II of the Somali
Reconciliation Conference is winding up. He spoke to Special
Correspondent CATHY MAJTENYI on the challenges and progress at the
talks
What have been the major challenges of the peace talks?
The major challenges have been related to the number of delegates.
Initially, 400 delegates were invited but more than 1,000 turned up.
That put pressure on finances. The budget was blown out of its
ceiling. We now have a bill of Ksh385 million ($5 million), which we
have to clear before we can reorganise ourselves.
The other issue is representation. We have civil society, women,
the diaspora, intellectuals. They all want to be represented. There is
also the leaders' committee, which was initiated by Elijah Mwangale
but has been contested. The major issue is identity and
representation.
How will you deal with these problems?
We have decided to limit the numbers. The figure we are working on
now is 361 delegates, but there will be an extra 20 or 30 positions
for those looking after some of the leaders or resource persons.
Second, we are reorganising the secretariat. We also plan to move
from Eldoret to Nairobi because the costs are higher here. We have
found a place that we think will be much more conducive and cheaper.
We also plan to take up the issue of finances with the donors. We
have discussed the problems with them, and they seem to be
forthcoming. There is now an independent unit that will manage our
finances. It was set up by the European Union and is working with
PriceWaterhouseCoopers and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
You've been quoted as saying that you wouldn't allow Kenya,
Djibouti, Ethiopia, or even Igad to take the peace process hostage.
What role does the technical committee play in the talks and to what
extent do it and the individual players influence the outcome of the
talks?
The technical committee acts as a facilitator for the process. Our
work is to make sure all the various groups are there. The committee
decided, in consultation with the Somalis and the other partners, to
establish the six committees to examine aspects of building a stable Somalia.
The technical committee will receive reports from these groups and
then we will see how to take the process forward. In my experience of
dealing with conflicts in Africa, one of the fundamental things is to
ensure inclusivity of all interested parties because if you leave any
out, they will jeopardise the process.
The interest and voice of the regional partners are important
because they have also been involved in Somalia
over the years. But we must make sure that their concerns and
suggestions do not hold the process hostage so that only their
interests are considered. We want a win-win situation for all those
involved, mainly Somalia itself and
the region. There are also other partners like the African Union,
European Union, Arab League, US, and Egypt, whose interests matter.
Some key people, particularly Hussein Aideed (chairman of the
Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council) and others have left
the conference. What plans do you have to bring them back?
My information is that he did not leave the conference. He went for
some function in Korea and he is going to come back. They are all
coming back.
Col Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmad (disputed president of Puntland) and the
leaders' committee itself have requested that Somaliland be given
representation at the conference. However, Somaliland has repeatedly
said it is a sovereign state and doesn't need or want to be involved
in the talks. What is your stance on Somaliland representation?
The Council of Ministers of the Frontline States have not
recognised Somaliland. Hence, you could say they are for territorial
integrity and the unity of Somalia.
It is implied that Somaliland is included in Somalia.
Secondly, they had a request from the delegation here that Somaliland
should be invited. A delegation was earlier sent to Somaliland to ask
them to come.
As far as we are concerned, we will carry on with the conference
and come to some arrangement, have a government, hopefully, in
Mogadishu, and then that government together with the international
community will take up that issue. If, during the course of these
discussions, there is a window of opportunity that opens up, I think
the conference is not going to say no to that possibility.
There have been some unfortunate incidents that have occurred at
the conference over the past few weeks, namely the assault of Prof.
Muhammad Abdi Ghandi [a prominent member of civil society]. How do you
explain the incidents of violence that have occurred at the conference
in the past few weeks and how do you plan to prevent this from
happening again?
Given what Somalis have gone through over the years, I am amazed
that there hasn't been too much violence. The Somali people have been
killed, they have lost their mothers, they have been raped. We should
all put that in perspective. We will strive to create the right
atmosphere so that these kinds of things do not happen. Security is in
place, but that's not enough.
I'm urging all the delegates, starting with the civil society, to
be reconcilers. When they see tension, they should come in immediately
and sort out the problem in a peaceful way. If another incident of
violence occurs, then we will deal with it according to the laws of
Kenya and maybe also according to the Somali traditional method of
reconciliation.
Foreign Affairs Minister Kalonzo Musyoka said recently at the
African Union summit in Addis Ababa that the frontline states had
agreed to set up a committee to monitor violations of the ceasefire
that the factions and others signed last October. Can you tell us more
about this?
The ministers have decided to establish a committee consisting of
members from the Arab League, the African Union, the United Nations,
and the European Union. I will soon call a meeting of that group to
work out a plan of action to ensure that there is no violation of that
agreement. Also, we have been trying to work out the mechanism of
sanctions against the violators.
When do you think the conference will conclude?
We will continue until we have an agreement, depending on finances
and the progress we make. We need another three weeks or a month. I
will have to go to the donors, or rather to the Council of Ministers,
and brief them on the progress and perhaps appeal for further
financial assistance.
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