Background
Before the Council was the Secretary-General's report on
the situation in Somalia (document S/2002/189) between 11
October 2001 and 21 February 2002, in which he shares the cautious
optimism of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)
that despite the lack of major progress, a way forward can be found
in that country's national reconciliation process.
The way forward will require political will on the part of
the Somali political leaders and the sustained encouragement and
support of Somalia’s immediate neighbours, he adds.
Once
security conditions permit, the United Nations will do all that is
possible to achieve progress in Somalia, the Secretary-General
states. However, the
country remains among the most dangerous environments in which the
Organization operates. Security
conditions for United Nations staff vary radically from place to
place and are difficult to predict.
The inter-agency security assessment has confirmed that the
security situation, particularly in Mogadishu, does not allow for a
long-term United Nations presence and, therefore, precludes the
launching of a comprehensive peace-building programme in Somalia.
The report points out that the humanitarian situation remains
perilous and that years have been lost in terms of socio-economic
and infrastructure development.
Access to such strategic sites as airports and primary road
networks and the safety of United Nations staff and assets are basic
requirements for increased programme implementation.
The Secretary-General
calls on Somali leaders to assure the safety of United Nations staff
and humanitarian workers in all parts of the country.
He
says that pending the emergence of conditions conducive to the
launching of a comprehensive peace-building programme, United
Nations programmes will be expanded through humanitarian and
development projects, as well as specific peace-building activities
focusing on community-based peace-building, reduction of small arms,
police training, quick impact projects aimed at improving security,
and the intensification of dialogue on humanitarian and development
issues.
While
acknowledging the Security Council's
recognition that the
Arta peace process is the most viable basis for peace and national
reconciliation, the Secretary-General
states that the process is not only incomplete and reconciliation
among the Somali parties stymied, but there was also a divergence of
views among the IGAD member States regarding Somali national
reconciliation.
However,
he states that the ninth IGAD summit (10 to 11 January in Khartoum)
refocused attention on national reconciliation in Somalia and
reached an understanding regarding specific steps to be taken by the
IGAD countries concerned. The
IGAD decision also acknowledged that consensus among the country's
neighbours is essential in order to support a way forward in the
search for a more broad-based transitional arrangement.
According to the report, IGAD member countries and other
States in the region should contribute constructively to peace
efforts in Somalia. The
United Nations, through its Political Office for Somalia and its
agencies, stands ready to support the IGAD initiative.
However, only Somalia’s leaders can decide to end the
suffering of their people and to negotiate an end to the conflict.
The report states that the Secretary-General intends to
establish a Committee of Friends of Somalia in Nairobi, chaired by
his Special Representative. Another
committee of similar composition ought to be established in New York
and should meet periodically under the chairmanship of the
Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs.
Regarding
the internal political situation, the Secretary-General
reports that several members of Somalia's Transitional National
Assembly put forward a motion of no-confidence in the Transitional
National Government on 12 October, accusing it of financial
mismanagement, failing to improve the economic and security
situation and failure to move the national reconciliation process
forward. The motion was
passed on 12 November. Subsequently,
Minister of Water Resources Hassan Abshir Farah was named the new
Prime Minister.
According
to the report, the Transitional National Government has stated that
the completion of the reconciliation process will be a top priority
to be pursued through talks with faction leaders and regional
administrations. The
Prime Minister also held discussions with Jama Ali Jama, the new
President of "Puntland".
But the leader of "Somaliland", Mohamed Ibrahim
Egal, continues to keep his distance from the Transitional National
Government.
Statements
STEFAN TAFROV (Bulgaria) said the situation in
Somalia, as highlighted in the current report of the
Secretary-General, was fragile.
The country was bereft of aid and in the hands of militias
and warring factions. While
there had been something of a stalemate over the last 10 months, the
peace process was nevertheless now showing some positive signs.
He welcomed the efforts at national reconciliation that were
being undertaken by the transitional Government and other Somali
parties.
While the solution to Somalia’s problems lay with the
people themselves, it was critical for the Security Council to
become involved in that solution, he said.
He hoped that all Somalis would forge forward together in the
quest for a peace process and lay aside their differences.
He also stressed the need for an orderly approach to the
peace process in Somalia. He
said today’s meeting was also sending an important signal to
Somalis to pursue peace.
His country supported the idea to set up a group called
“Friends of Somalia”. In
the context of the 11 September terrorist attacks, he said the
Council must follow developments in Somalia if that country was to
be prevented from becoming a refuge for terrorists.
He also expressed his delegation’s concern over the spread
of small arms and lights weapons in Somalia and stressed the need
for constructive contributions by neighbouring countries.
Bulgaria was also alarmed at the humanitarian situation in
the country and urged donors to respond to inter-agency appeal.
He called for aid workers to be given immediate access to
critical areas in Somalia.
KISHORE
MAHBUBANI (Singapore) said the problems facing Somalia could
only be successfully solved by the people of the country themselves.
At the same time, it was very helpful that Somalia’s
neighbours, such as Djibouti, were also contributing to the peace
process. It was
important for the international community to take a firm stance on
exactly what its role would be:
were global actors going to do their utmost to provide
assistance, or were they going to stand by and watch the situation
deteriorate?
In
the post-11 September environment, it was in the interest of the
international community to encourage all States to extend every
effort to build and maintain strong governments.
He called for a comprehensive approach to dealing with the
situation in Somalia, including particular attention to human rights
questions and identifying long-term goals and objectives.
Finally, he said that the freezing of the country’s assets
had been problematic for the civilians living there.
That question should be addressed immediately and accounts
must be unfrozen to enable those responsible for the distribution of
funds to do so.
MIKHAIL WEHBE (Syria) associated his statement of that
to be made by the representative of Jordan later in the meeting.
On the situation in Somalia, he said the Council must do its
utmost to discharge its duties – namely, maintaining international
peace and security. On
the Secretary-General’s report, he noted that Somalia was still
recognized as one of the most dangerous States in which the United
Nations was active. Syria
supported the Secretary-General’s call for ensuring the safety of
United Nations and other international personnel.
He was concerned that the report did not seem to offer any
suggestions as to why the overall situation in Somalia continued to
deteriorate. There must
be a way –- and hopefully the Council could identify some viable
strategies during today’s discussion -- to move beyond the current
deadlock in the country.
There
was a need to formulate concrete strategies, such as forming a
unified national army and identifying broad demobilization
strategies, he said. Efforts
should be made to establish a peace mission in the country.
There was also a need to ensure that the transitional
Government concentrated on humanitarian concerns. Overall, a
comprehensive approach was required -– moving through
peace-building to security. It
was important not to let a few warlords continue to take advantage
of the situation as it was. In
that regard, the new Government needed help rebuilding the
infrastructure through the provision of adequate resources to
rehabilitate the country.
He
hoped that any presidential statement of outcome from today’s
meeting would offer concrete suggestions on several questions and
that the Council would support the transitional Government’s
efforts to complete national reconciliation; condemn the warlords
who were a threat to peace and a roadblock to any attempts at such
reconciliation; confirm the principles of territorial integrity of
Somalia; and study setting up a mechanism for monitoring and
verification to facilitate the work of the sanctions committee
established under resolution 751.
He
supported the setting up of a “Group of Friends” for Somalia.
Such a group should ensure that national, regional or
international initiatives did not conflict or overlap.
The Council must be serious about ensuring peace in Somalia
and bringing and end to the fighting there.
That was the only way to put an end to the vicious cycle of
violence. Issuing such
a statement would help strengthen the efforts of the national
government and send a positive message to the people of the region,
in Somalia itself, and the international donor community.
He added that the Council should try to rectify the problems
surrounding the freezing of the assents of the Al Barakat Bank --
the “lungs” of the country’s economy so that that the life and
well-being of the people could be ensured.
ALFONSO
VALDIVIESO (Colombia) said participation by the Security
Council in the reconciliation process in Somalia had been very
important so far and had contributed to the establishment of an
interim Government. The
decision of IGAD to hold a reconciliation process in April deserved
all support. Regional
authorities already had an established role in the current Somali
reconciliation process –- the international community and the
United Nations must now play their respective roles.
“We must also seek other alternatives for the United
Nations to have a greater political presence on ground”, he said.
One option was to strengthen the role of the Security Council
in Somalia. That should
include more regular briefings and the creation of monitoring
mechanisms to keep abreast of the situation on the ground.
He said the
information on the continued circulation of small arms was alarming
and pointed clearly to the widespread violation of the Security
Council arms embargo in Somalia.
There was a need to raise the efficiency of the arms embargo
through the establishment of a monitoring mechanism.
He stressed that the next report of the Secretary-General
deal with that anomaly in greater depth.
He said that combating terrorism warranted the support of all
States. There was also
a need to devise more transparent remittance systems so that the
Somalis could receive benefits and funds, which could not be
diverted to support terrorism.
Anarchy must not be allowed to triumph in Somalia.
WANG YINGFAN (China) said he appreciated and supported
the encouraging developments in Somalia’s peace process.
Peace lay in the hands of the parties themselves.
Without the support of those parties, the peace process would
remain on paper as just another strategy.
He urged the Somalis to demonstrate the necessary goodwill to
try to solve their problems through dialogue.
He
said he hoped that the countries with the capacity to do so would
exert positive influence over Somali factions and urge them to
refrain from violence while looking for an early conclusion of the
reconciliation initiatives. The
United Nations should also follow the development of the situation
in Somalia and be fully prepared to play the role required of it
when peace was finally was achieved.
He called on Somali factions to ensure freedom of movement,
as well as safety and security for humanitarian personnel.
He hoped that the long-standing situation of ineffective
implementation of sanctions would soon be reversed, and that
international factions would cooperate to achieve that aim.
JEAN-DAVID
LEVITTE (France) said that expressing full support for the
efforts of the transitional Government in Somalia was the best way
of ensuring the unity and territorial integrity there, a notion
which the Council had continually advocated.
The new Government must be given a chance, and, importantly,
there must be a response to Somalia’s requests for help in the
country’s fight against terrorism.
The Council had expended a great deal of energy on the Somali
crisis, resulting in numerous resolutions and two peacekeeping
missions. Although he
supported the “cautious optimism” in the Secretary-general’s
report, he emphasized that now was not the time to relax.
In the new post-11 September context, it would be important
to monitor the situation in Somalia closely, so it did not become
another Afghanistan. Any
efforts in that regard must follow internationally prescribed
humanitarian norms. He
urged the Council to address the situation of the country’s frozen
bank assets immediately.
On the report itself
and its relation to what the Council could do, he noted that France
would be interested in establishing a “Group of Friends” for
Somalia. It was also
important that the Council reaffirm its commitment to certain
principles. In that
regard, the arms embargo must be made effective –- that would be
an important way to ensure the survival of a country trapped in a
cycle of violence. It
was also essential to ensure that all efforts at disarmament,
demobilization and reintegration were supported.
Finally, the Council must be ready to send a peace-building
mission to the country once security conditions allowed.
RAKESH BHUCKORY (Mauritius) expressed full support for
the efforts of the transitional Government that had emerged form the
ongoing peace process in Somalia.
The Arta process remained the only viable framework to ensure
the hopes of the Somali people for the future, and the Council must
express its full support for that process.
The Council must also support the transitional Government’s
efforts at national reconciliation and at improving the security
situation, as well as those concerning demobilization.
He supported the proposal to re-establish a “Friends of
Somalia” group, and it was imperative that members of such a group
maintain a genuine vision for supporting the transitional
Government’s efforts to move the national reconciliation process
forward. The Council,
as well as the wider international community, should fully support
the IGAD Somalia Reconciliation Conference, scheduled to be held
next month in Nairobi.
He called on donor countries to provide immediate assistance
to offset the country’s deepening humanitarian crisis.
It was unacceptable that the United Nations remained hostage
to the whims of tribal warlords operating in Somalia.
The intransigence of the warlords had been exacerbated by the
easy availability of small arms and light weapons.
The purveyors of such arms must be identified and prosecuted.
Moreover, the arms embargo must be enforced, as it had become
obvious that while the Council and other international actors had
been working to maintain peace and security in Somalia, there were
other actors working within the country and region to opposite ends.
Indeed,
maintaining peace and security within Somalia was the international
community’s main goal there.
Now that a peace process appeared to be on track, it was
important to ensure that the police and security forces were
strengthened. He urged
the relevant United Nations development agencies to take up that
issue as soon as possible. Doing
so would send a message that the international community was
concerned by the plight of the Somali people.
It would also tell the warlords that it was no longer in
their interest to continue trying to destabilize the country.
FELIX MBAYU (Cameroon) said that after today’s
debate the Council should consider and stress a number of points,
vis-à-vis Somalia. The first was maintaining and strengthening
national dialogue among all the Somali factions.
The second was the imperative of strengthening the national
reconciliation process with a view to bringing about a fully
representative broad-based government, while preserving the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.
The third was the adoption of specific steps for
socio-economic recovery and the consolidation of sustainable peace
in the country.
He
said another key point was the need for material and financial
support for the promising activities by the World Health
organization (WHO) and Doctors without Borders on the ground.
He also called for a strengthening of the economic recovery
efforts and emphasized combating illiteracy, establishing the rule
of law, encouraging disarmament, demobilization and reintegration,
and promoting respect for human rights.
Somalis
must demonstrate tolerance and patience, as well as a will to engage
in dialogue, he stressed. His
country supported the IGAD initiative to bring all Somali factions
together at a national reconciliation conference in the second half
of April. He also
expressed support for the Secretary-General’s initiative to set up
two Groups of Friends of Somalia in Nairobi, Kenya, and New York.
GERARD CORR (Ireland), associating himself with the
European Union, said his country was particularly encouraged that
there was now agreement on a unified regional approach, which
offered a glimmer of hope for Somalia.
While only the country's leaders could end the Somali
people's suffering, that would not be possible without a
coordinated, constructive approach on the part of its neighbours.
He said the forthcoming National Reconciliation Conference
would be an historic opportunity for all Somali parties to put the
interests of the population ahead of all power struggles and
partisan motives. In
addition, the international community had an unambiguous
responsibility to look beyond the limitations imposed by the current
security situation to help create the circumstances in which the
United Nations could become more fully engaged in Somalia.
The presidential statement adopted in October called for
proposals on how the United Nations could further assist in
demobilization of militia members and the training of police
personnel from the Transitional National Government, he recalled.
The Council should also consider the need to give greater
effect to the arms embargo on Somalia.
Ireland strongly supported strengthening enforcement of the
sanctions regime through an appropriate mechanism, as it was clear
that the regime in place for the last 10 years had not been
enforced.
BOUBACAR
DIALLO (Guinea) said it was imperative and urgent for all
Somali parties to join in the quest for peace.
His delegation welcomed the decision to hold, in April in
Nairobi, a reconciliation meeting that would involve all Somali
players. He said there
could be no doubt whatever that what had been achieved in Somalia
was in sharp contrast to the suffering experienced by the people of
that country since 1990. In
that light, it was imperative to strengthen the arms embargo, and
enhance disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes.
He
expressed alarm at the food situation in Somalia and appealed to the
international community to mobilize resources that would make it
possible to alleviate the suffering of Somalis.
He underscored that now was the time for Somalis to end the
fratricidal conflict that had gone on for such a long time.
His delegation was convinced of the role that the United
Nations could play in bringing recovery to the people of Somalia and
supported the Secretary-General’s idea of setting up a “Group of
Friends of Somalia”.
RICHARD WILLIAMSON (United States) said his country
pledged to work with all Somalis dedicated to the fight against
terrorism, maintaining peace and security in the region, and
ensuring that humanitarian objectives were upheld.
He shared the concern of the Secretary-General at the lack of
progress towards national reconciliation.
He was further gravely concerned at the dire situation that
faced humanitarian workers in Somalia, particularly the recent
kidnapping of a United Nations aid worker.
Such a lack of security for humanitarian workers and
continued violence against them was disconcerting because the
overall humanitarian situation in Somalia and the region was
continuing to deteriorate.
Commenting
on the Secretary-General's report, he supported the establishment of
a "group of friends" for Somalia, in both New York and
Nairobi. He agreed with
the recommendation of the inter-agency fact-finding office that now
was not the time to establish a peace-building office at Mogadishu.
He believed that officials in those joint departments, in
conjunction with United Nations security officials, were the best
persons to make such a judgement.
The
United States would continue to be vigilant concerning all attempts
to use Somalia as a base for terrorism.
To that end, strict adherence to resolution 1373 also would
prevent destabilization within the region.
All States had a continuing obligation to ensure the
implementation of resolution 733 on an arms embargo.
The United States supported Somali and regional efforts at
national reconciliation, as well as efforts to defy those that
wanted to exploit the country as a base for terrorism.
He urged all parties in Somalia to attend the upcoming
Nairobi reconciliation meeting without reservations and called on
all neighbouring States to urge Somalia to participate and to
actively contribute to regional security.
Finally, he said the fate of Somalia was in the hands of the
people of the country themselves.
It was time for the people to put the failures of the past
behind, to turn away from warlordism and work together for a new
Somalia. At the same
time, the international community must do its part to ensure
reconciliation and economic development.
ANDREY GRANOVSKY (Russian Federation) said he agreed
with the cautious optimism expressed in the Secretary-General's
report on the outcome of the recent IGAD summit.
He was hopeful that a basis for harmonizing various peace
efforts was under way. It
was now the task of the Council and the wider international
community to support countries in the region to enhance cooperation
with IGAD. Russia also
supported the provision of material and political assistance to the
collective efforts of the IGAD countries and the Somalis themselves.
On the issue of creating a "friends of Somalia"
group, he said, naturally, such a group should be comprised of
members of all countries, as well as Council members, committed to
assisting efforts to make concrete and positive change in Somalia.
He drew attention to
the section of the report that dealt with combating international
terrorism. While it was
clear that many countries, including Russia, deplored the threat of
terrorism, it was important to understand the limited abilities of
Somalia's new Government to address such threats.
To that end, it was the responsibility of the international
community and the Council to provide Somalia with help to neutralize
any terrorist threat. It
was important to remember, however, that eradicating terrorism would
be impossible unless there was restoration of peace throughout the
country.
ALISTAIR HARRISON (United Kingdom) said there was a
need to be realistic about what the proposed Nairobi Peace and
Reconciliation Conference could achieve and stressed that it was
only the first stage in a process and not the endgame.
The focus at that conference should be on resolving
differences among the parties in the south and on finding solutions
that would result in a broad-based government.
It was also important for the United Nations and other bodies
to not make statements before Nairobi that could prejudice the
outcome. The only
stable outcome would be what was generated and agreed upon by the
parties themselves.
He said that while a
United Nations office in Somalia would be useful, one should respect
the Secretary-General's judgement on the safety of personnel.
His delegation was also concerned about the proliferation of
arms supplies to Somalia. States engaged in that were in breach of
Council directives and responsible for fuelling the gun culture that
was so rampant in that country.
He urged IGAD and other bodies to do more to provide
practical benefits to the people of that country.
Also, he warned that if Nairobi failed, and hostilities
continued, the United Nations would need to consider appropriate
action to address the situation on the ground.
ADOLFO
AGUILAR ZINSER (Mexico) said the issue of Somalia had been a
source of long-standing concern to the United Nations, and
initiatives had either failed or had not yielded the essential goals
of peace, development, harmony and understanding in the country.
Those failures, however, were not grounds for either the
Council or the United Nations to excuse themselves of their
responsibilities and commitments to Somalia.
The analysis of the conflict situation in Somalia had made it
necessary for this item to stay before the Council and to continue
to receive its attention.
One of the most urgent issues now was to focus efforts on
humanitarian assistance to Somalia and to take care of the very
significant part of the Somali population that required such aid.
That was a priority for the United Nations. Humanitarian work
and development, however, hinged on the security that would be
provided in Somalia. Food
security and the trafficking in small arms and light weapons were
other key issues that needed to be addressed, he added, noting that
despite an embargo on weapons, the conflict continued with a
sanctions regime that had been rendered ineffective.
He
underscored that it was indefatigable duty of the Council to see
that obstacles to peace in Somalia were removed.
ZEID
RA’AD ZEID AL-HUSSEIN (Jordan), speaking on behalf of the
Arab Group, said it was imperative to ensure peace and security to
Somalia. Maintaining
stability in Somalia and strengthening its transitional Government
would promote the country’s sovereignty and national integrity.
The Council and the wider international community must avoid
anything that would hamper the national reconciliation process and
be particularly vigilant concerning international interference in
Somalia’s affairs. He
welcomed the upcoming IGAD reconciliation conference, scheduled to
be held in Nairobi next month, as a unique opportunity to continue
broad efforts to restore peace and tranquillity to Somalia.
He hoped the Council
would continue to convene meetings on Somalia and continue
monitoring the overall situation there.
He applauded the Council’s initiative to send a
fact-finding mission to the country.
His delegation was in favour of setting up a mechanism to
monitor the arms embargo in Somalia.
He also hoped that Jordan could be included in the
establishment of the “group of friends” for Somalia that had
been suggested in the Secretary-Generals’ report.
INOCENCIO F. ARIAS (Spain) spoke for the European
Union, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia,
Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta,
Turkey and Iceland. He
said the future of Somalia depended first of all on the Somalis
themselves. For its
part, the international community should assist the Somalis in
reversing the dangerous and unique situation of Somalia, which had
been without State structures for more than a decade.
The Union supported a unified approach to the peace process
and greater coherency in policy to achieve a comprehensive and
lasting settlement.
He welcomed the decision taken by the IGAD Foreign Ministers
Committee on Somalia to convene a national reconciliation conference
in April. The parties
must put aside their differences and participate in the dialogue
without preconditions and with a genuine resolve to broaden and
complete the national reconciliation process.
He
called once again on the countries involved and other actors to
comply with the arms embargo established by Council resolution 733
(1992). All States, in
particular, those of the region, must abstain from any military
involvement in Somalia. Noting
the recommendations contained in the Secretary-General's report,
especially those related to security conditions, he said it was
nonetheless clear that active United Nations involvement in the
peace process was absolutely essential.
Ways in which the United Nations and the international
community could contribute to breaking the cycle of insecurity in
Somalia must be examined.
AHMED ABOUL GHEIT (Egypt) said the Council's efforts
should be focused on completing the Arta process and the promotion
of national reconciliation through encouraging all Somali factions
to join in IGAD's efforts. The
Council should invite States that had a bearing on the parties to
exercise their influence in a constructive manner to guarantee the
participation of all Somali parties in the upcoming reconciliation
conference.
Efforts aimed at achieving national reconciliation were still
being held hostage by the warlords in Somalia, as well as by the
armed hostilities that erupted in different parts of the country
from time to time, he said. If
the international community was unable to take any concrete steps to
disarm and demobilize the militia elements opposed to the peace
process, especially in Mogadishu, then at the very least the Council
should enforce the arms embargo imposed by its resolution 733
(1992).
He said the United
Nations must be ready to face the challenges and dangers it might
confront in Somalia. It
could not afford to wait until the perfect security conditions were
prevalent to proceed with deployment of a peace-building mission.
He added that he welcomed the Secretary-General's
recommendation to establish a Committee of Friends for Somalia.
ROBLE OLHAYE (Djibouti) said it was significant that
the report of the Secretary-General described a “divergence of
views” among member States of IGAD regarding national
reconciliation in Somalia. From
a regional perspective, the question was, therefore, whether that
divergence was compounding Somalia’s woes and further complicating
the reconciliation efforts, despite a keen desire by the Somali
people for peace. Also,
would the countries of the region come to terms with the reality
that the Somalis had had sufficient squabbles and divisions of their
own for so long that they hardly needed to be mired by different
regional interests.
He
said the longer and deeper instability and insecurity were allowed
to fester and persist in Somalia, the greater was the risk of
warfare in the region. The international community had turned a
blind eye to brutality and bloodshed in that country for so long
that it was now grappling with the lessons of its past mistakes.
If it was not brought to an end sooner rather than later,
continued instability in Somalia would exacerbate conditions that
made the Horn of Africa one of the most impoverished regions in the
world. No one could
doubt, therefore, that Somalia’s difficulties had regional
dimensions, represented a menace to regional peace, and complicated
efforts to find a lasting peace across that part of Africa.
“We cannot truly speak of reconciliation in Somalia as long
as IGAD member countries are pursuing varying and opposing goals,
both with regard to what it takes to achieve peace and
reconciliation in Somalia, and what the final outcome will look
like”, he said. The clearest testimony yet to the region’s
contradictory and self-defeating policies had been the relentless
equivocation and systematic negation of the outcome of Arta.
He said the transitional Government in Somalia was a
fledgling, nascent administration that inherited nothing but chaos,
destruction and empty coffers.
As such, countries in the region owed Somalia every bit of
compassion, material and moral support without strings attached.
To a great extent, everything depended on the unambiguous,
clear and shared vision of the region.
In the absence, however, of a current supportive policy from
his own region, it was highly unlikely that the donor community, the
United Nations and international organizations would become involved
in “our backyard” other than for humanitarian reasons.
And that was precisely what had been happening since the
establishment of the Transitional National Government.
It
was, therefore, the inaction, rivalry and jealousies, mixed signals
and inconsistency of his region that were seriously hampering the
full realization of the gains achieved by the people of Somalia at
Arta. Such squabbles
over Somalia’s destiny were taking place with little, if any,
criticism from the international community.
That was why Djibouti was not keen to qualify the conclusions
of the Secretary-General, in the absence of coherent policy
approaches on the part of the countries of the region.
His country believed that the time had come for the countries
of the Horn of Africa to accept responsibility for the lack of
resolution in the Somali conflict.
ABUZED OMAR DORDA (Libya) said the conclusion of the
report of the Secretary-General did not fit in with comprehensive
review that came before. For
example, the report reminded the Council that it had stated that the
Arta peace process was the most viable foundation for peace and
national reconciliation in Somalia.
The question to be asked then was what had Arta produced?
The answer was the Transitional National Government.
It would then proceed logically that, as long as Arta was the
most viable foundation for Somalia, it must naturally be built upon
to complete the peace process in Somalia.
For
Africans, the whole issue was a phony one fraught with international
relations double standards, he said.
Many other issues, East Timor, for example, had been given
fair treatment. There,
implementation was monitored daily if not hourly.
But that was not the case in Africa.
Was that continent not a part of the United Nations?
Was Somalia not a Member, and were the 52 African States --
almost one third of the Organization, not Members as well?
In addition, three quarters of the Council’s activities
pertained to Africa. If
stability were to be found in Somalia, then the Arta foundation must
be built upon.
He
said it would be illogical to leave Somalia to Somalis.
Some of those Somalis were responsible for the situation in
country today. How
could those who benefited from war freely let go of their benefits,
which would continue as long as the situation remained the same?
The international community must truly stand shoulder to
shoulder with the Transitional National Government or the warlords
would continue their warlike activities in the country.
The transitional Government must be enabled to exert and
expand its authority. It was transitional, and when its period
ended, the people would be able to choose their legitimate
Government in the ballot box. But until then, the Transitional
National Government must be supported in the Council or peace would
not return to Somalia.
BOB JALANG’O (Kenya) said IGAD had charged his
country with the responsibility of coordinating the efforts towards
reconciliation in Somalia. To
that end, he drew the Council’s attention to agreements signed at
the December IGAD meeting between the Somali transitional Government
and, respectively, the United Somali Congress/Somali Salvation
Alliance, and the Somali National Alliance.
Those agreements indicated that the peace and reconciliation
process was gaining momentum. All
parties to the conflict in Somalia were expected to attend the
upcoming national reconciliation conference next month.
Turning to the report before the Council, he said the
Secretary-General had detected divergent views among IGAD member
States regarding the overall national reconciliation process in
Somalia. While that
might have appeared to be the case in the past, Kenya, as the
process coordinator, wished to assure the Council that much progress
had been made. Indeed,
it appeared that views were coming closer together rather than
moving farther apart. To
hasten the process, IGAD’s Foreign Ministers had established a
technical committee comprised of front-line States and the IGAD
secretariat, with a permanent secretariat in Nairobi.
He added that that committee needed support.
IGAD member States welcomed the Secretary-General’s
proposal to establish a “Group of Friends” of Somalia, to be
based in Nairobi and in New York, he said.
Overall, it was evident that with intensified international
focus on Somalia it was now up to the people of Somalia to
demonstrate the maturity to take advantage of such goodwill.
As a neighbour of Somalia, Kenya would continue to discharge
its fraternal duty to provide assistance.
Moreover, Kenya had no doubt that all parties involved,
including the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the United
Nations and the IGAD Partners Forum, would go the extra mile to
assist Somalia during the current peace process, particularly in the
areas of humanitarian assistance and improvement of general
security. Undoubtedly,
neighbours and friends of Somalia would continue to play a
constructive and impartial role to help overcome the long-standing
problems caused by Somalia’s lack of a central government.
FESSEHA
TESSEMA (Ethiopia) said the situation in Somalia required a
comprehensive approach. The
establishment of a broad-based government there, as urgently as
possible, was not only in the interest of the Somali people
themselves, but also in the vital interest of the wider
international community. Moreover,
the establishment of such a government was at the heart of the IGAD
peace process. He
believed the consensus achieved by IGAD member countries at various
meetings and conferences had provided the basis for enhanced
coordination and cooperation to achieve peace in Somalia.
He
went on to express hope that the IGAD members and the wider
international community recognized the necessity of the
establishment of a broad-based government in Somalia.
There was really no other option.
Throughout the past 11 years,
various peace efforts in Somalia had been hampered by parties with a
stake in maintaining the status quo or that benefited from anarchy.
That hindrance, which external actors were either unwilling
or unable to address, must come to an end.
All parties must commit to a viable government.
To
that end, he called upon all Somali parties and groups to
participate equally and without preconditions in the forthcoming
IGAD Foreign Ministers Committee meeting in Nairobi.
All parties should work to bring the crisis to an end.
Ethiopia was fully committed to supporting such a positive
outcome, particularly as it would enhance efforts to establish an
inclusive government. Ethiopia
called on all States in and outside the subregion to contribute
constructively to the peace efforts in Somalia and appealed to the
Council to continue its support of the IGAD peace process and other
regional initiatives.
Council
President, OLE PETER KOLBY (Norway), in his national
capacity, expressed his country’s support to the Arta peace
process, which continued to be the most viable way to achieve peace
and stability in Somalia. However,
the final objective of the Arta process had yet to be achieved, and
he urged all parties in Somalia and within the wider international
community to encourage dialogue with a view to establishing an
all-inclusive and broad-based government in Somalia.
He also expressed support for the upcoming reconciliation
conference in Nairobi as an important step in laying the foundation
for the work ahead in that regard.
Despite
such cautious optimism, he was deeply concerned by recent violence
in Mogadishu. It was
more important than ever to ensure broad adherence to the
prescriptions laid out in the arms embargo.
Moreover, revitalizing the arms embargo through the
establishment of a monitoring body was also critical.
Norway was also concerned at the deepening humanitarian
crisis in various regions of Somalia, including Mogadishu, as well
as the constant threat to humanitarian aid workers.
Still, he was heartened by the fact that United Nations aid
workers, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) staff, as
well as representatives of non-governmental organizations continued
to work diligently throughout the country.
He
called on all parties in Somalia to guarantee the safety and freedom
of movement of United Nations and other humanitarian personnel.
He further called on all parties and regional actors to
contribute to peaceful development in the Horn of Africa.
All States should respond to the 2002 Inter-Agency Appeal, he
said.
YUSUF
HASSAN IBRAHIM, Minister for Foreign Affairs for the Transitional
National Government of Somalia, thanked Council members and
non-members for their constructive suggestions and recommendations
throughout the day-long meeting.
He warned, however, that the
outcome of the upcoming national reconciliation meeting should not
be prejudged negatively. He
went on to suggest that a “multiple track” approach to the
security situation in his country was needed, which included, among
other things, providing the transitional Government with the
necessary resources and tools to enhance the security situation in
Mogadishu and other areas, as well as sustained and continuos
contribution to the campaign against terrorism.
He
also said such an approach would also require sustained support of
the IGAD peace process, which, in turn, would send a message to the
warlords that failure to participate constructively in the
negotiations would result in serious consequences.
All efforts and initiatives should be forward-looking, with
an eye to eventually putting in place a massive reconstruction and
rehabilitation programme for Somalia.
For its part, the transitional Government would continue to
peruse peace and reconciliation and cooperation with all efforts to
end terrorism.** *