| 19 May 2007 04:20 SOMALIA WATCH |
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DAWLADDA
PUNTLAND
EE
SOOMAALIYA
OF SOMALIA Xafiiska
Madaxtooyada
Office of the President Nairobi,
May 9,2003
Press Statement 1.
Somali
National Reconciliation Conference, KCCT,
Mbaghathi, Nairobi, Kenya.
I would like, at the very outset, to extend our profound and
deeply felt gratitude to the Government of Kenya, who graciously
hosted this important talks for well over 6 months, the Frontline
States and the International Donor community for their full
cooperation. I have no
doubt that their unswerving support has made possible the process
itself as well as its achievements.
As you are all aware, the Peace process started with the first
phase, which culminated in the signing of the Eldoret Declaration by
23 Somali Leaders at Eldoret on 27th of October 2002.
In that Declaration, the Somali Leaders pledged to cease all
hostilities and to work towards the formation of a broad-based Federal
Government. They
have also agreed on guaranteeing the security of all humanitarian
Staff and developmental
projects.
The Government of the State of Puntland wishes to express its
concern over the numerous
ceasefire violations thus far but welcomes the recent efforts by IGAD
Representatives to establish a monitoring mechanism for such
violations in the future. Needless
to say that Puntland will fully support any such efforts towards
compliance with the Eldoret Declaration.
I would also like to touch on briefly the achievements of the
second phase of the Conference in which six Reconciliation Committees
finished their work and submitted their excellent reports for
harmonization. The Somali Leaders’ Committee is currently engaged in
harmonizing some aspects of the Draft Charter that will lead to the
convening of the Plenary of the Conference.
After the conclusion of the Plenary Session, it is expected
that a broad-based Federal Government will emerge.
All Somalis are looking forward to this historic moment and the
State of Puntland will spare no effort in the realization of this
lofty goal. 2.
The Puntland Reconciliation Efforts
Having dealt with the Somali National Reconciliation talks, I
would like to brief you on the successful conclusion of the Puntland
internal reconciliation talks. You
may be aware that the State of Puntland experienced a brief
constitutional crisis in the year 2001 which eventually led to
untraditional conflict in parts of the State. It was unfortunate
episode in the short existence of the State.
In the light of the above development and in the new spirit of
the Eldoret Declaration, the President of the State of Puntland H.E
Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed extended a general amnesty and made an appeal
for reconciliation and peace in Puntland.
It was, indeed, gratifying that the opposition leader General
Mohamud Muuse Boqor (General Ade) responded positively to this appeal
by Abdullahi Yusuf, who started a dialogue with him over the phone.
Indeed, the dialogue lasted over a period of 3 months and ended
with the entry of General Ade and his entire group in Bossaso on the
5th of May 2003, where on the following day the peace talks were
finalized. This
peace agreement includes: 1.
Cessation of all forms of hostilities. 2.
The acceptance of peace by All parties
throughout the State 3.
All other relevant issues to be dealt with in spirit of dialogue
based on hard-won trust
In this regard, I will be failing in my duty if I do not
acknowledge here the excellent efforts made by two prominent Somali
Traditional Leaders namely Sultan Said Sultan Abdisalam and Boqor
Osman Aw Mohamud (Buur Madow) in discreetly mediating the two parties.
It illustrates the vital mediating role of the Somali
traditional leaders when given the opportunity.
The Government and the people of Puntland are appreciative of
their efforts and extend their gratitude to them. 3.
The Impact of War on Iraqi had on the Somali Economy
Somalia
in general and the State of Puntland in particular are heavily
dependent on trade with the Gulf States.
However, this trade was severely disrupted following the Gulf
hostilities. The United States navy and those of her Allies have made
routine the inspections
of all commercial ships and dhows to and from the Gulf. These routine inspections have frightened the crewmembers,
who are traditionally nationals of the countries in the Indian
Sub-continent and Iran. In
addition, the owners of the small-uninsured dhows were afraid that
their dhows might sink in the high seas when approached by the
powerful U.S and Allied Navy ships. This state of affairs had a
devastating effect on Somali trade with the Gulf States.
Puntland’s livestock exports to United Arab Emirates and Oman
dwindled dramatically while custom revenues have shrunken due to sharp
fall of imports from the trading countries.This devastating
consequence of the War compounded the already existing problem of the
Saudi Arabia Livestock Ban. In
this regard, the State of Puntland wishes to appeal to the
international community for urgent help. [Country] |
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