PRESS
STATEMENT -
Garowe, May 8, 2001
ARTA
(DJIBOUTI) FACTION’S DECISION TO UNILATERALLY FORM A NATIONAL
RECONCILIATION COMMITTEE
AND ISSUE SOMALI PASSPORTS UNACCEPTABLE
In
another attempt to confuse the international community and with
the futile intention to undermine the recently established Somali
National Reconciliation & Restoration Council, the Arta
(Djibouti) Faction has unilaterally formed and announced a new
committee for the National Reconciliation Process.
By
doing this, the Arta Faction in Mogadishu has implicitly accepted
its failure to meet the preconditions put before it by the
international community for support. These preconditions of the
international community were that the Arta Faction should refrain
from violence and engage in peaceful constructive dialogue within
the Somali communities. Arta Faction failed to carry out these
tasks.
The
sudden unilateral announcement of a committee of retirees of
former Somali officials by the Djibouti sponsored Arta Group has
the following sinister motives:
1.
To continue its
destabilization strategy of the stable Recovery Zones of Somalia
by the inclusion of some members of Puntland State and Somaliland
origin in that ill-formed committee.
2.
To try desperately
to confuse the international community by projecting itself (Arta
Faction) deceptively as an entity engaged in national debate and
dialogue.
3.
To undermine the
reconciliation efforts of the Somali National Reconciliation and
Restoration Council (SRRC), a body bringing the leadership of all
parts of Somalia except Somaliland.
The
just announced committee has been hired and could be fired by the
Arta Faction alone without any consultation with the Regional
Administrations, the SRRC and other faction leaders of Somalia.
This is totally unacceptable.
Another
issue of serious concern is the illegal action of the Arta Faction
to forge the Somali national passport. This is a crime against the
people of Somalia and should be prosecuted by international law.
This
State Government is fully aware of the involvement of the Djbouti
Government in sponsoring the forgery printing of Somali passport
as we appeal to the Government of France to refrain from allowing
these impostors to use its printing machines for publication of
forgery documents.
In
the light of the above development, the State Government of
Puntland appeals to the international community to ignore the new
Somali passports issued unilaterally by Arta Faction. These are
forged documents.
The
communities of Puntland State of Somalia will continue to use the
existing Somali passports as the only temporary travel documents
until a National Central Government is finally formed on the basis
of a negotiated Federal System.
Mohamed
Hassan Nur
Miinister
