- [SW Country](Sources ) Statement by
the Somali Prime Minister to the UN Security Council :Posted on [21 Oct 2001]
October 20, 2001
Statement
by the Somali Prime Minister to the UN Security Council
Mr. President
Excellencies
I would like to seize this opportunity to congratulate Your Excellency for assuming the
presidency of the Security Council, I am confident that under your wise leadership this
Council will continue to be engaged in promoting the principles of the United Nations
Charter.
I am delighted, Your Excellency, to register the profound appreciation of the people
and the Government of Somalia for the honour that has been bestowed upon the
Secretary-General and the United Nations. Indeed, the award of the Nobel Prize for Peace
to H.E. the Secretary-General and the United Nations is recognition of his tireless
efforts exerted in the search for durable peace in the World.
Mr. President,
The tragic events of September 11 have alerted the people and Governments all over the
World of the danger posed by international terrorism. The Somali Government has expressed
unequivocally its outrage and disgust at the heinous acts of terrorism perpetrated against
the Government and people of the United States. It has expressed its condolences and
prayers to the President of the United States and the families of the bereaved. The Somali
Government firmly believes that the International Community must be united and strong in
the face of this menace. We reiterate our commitment and determination to cooperate with
the United Nations, and on bilateral basis, in the fight against international terrorism.
This commitment and determination to
combat terrorism is reflected in the recent decisions taken by my Government:
· We fully support Resolution
1373 of the Security Council. This Resolution provides the legal framework and obligations
of the Member States in the fight against terrorism.
· The Somali Government has recently established an Anti-Terrorism Task Force, which
will put together a national security and anti-terrorist action plan. This task force will
gather intelligence and information, monitor activities of potential suspects and share
information with the United Nations.
· The Somali government has engaged the ulma religious leaders with a view
to enlisting their support in the fight against terrorism.
· The Somali Government has also engaged the owners of the money transfer agencies
Hawala which have assured us their commitment of transparency. Hawala
owners have pledged to open their records to the United Nations and other interested
parties and share any insightful information with the Somali government and others.
· A Joint Committee of the Cabinet Members and members of the Somali Parliament have
recently been formed to review the penal code including other laws as part of the countrys
national obligation under Security Council resolution 1373.
For the government programs against terrorism to be very effective, it will be
incumbent upon the international community to provide with all the assistance needed. This
assistance can be in the form of the training and the provisions of the logistics for the
State intelligence services. Failure to do just that may lead to the creation of a vacuum
that can breed terrorism.
Mr. President,
On our part and for the purpose of enhancing security, we have been able to put in
camps over 25,000 militias to be trained and re-integrated to the society. Moreover, 8,000
policemen have been deployed in and around Mogadishu; there are neither green lines nor
checkpoints run by the warlords.
The Somali National Army is being re-established to reinforce security and strengthen
peace and stability within the country. Members of the National Army will also be
instrumental in bringing about the needed security within the framework of the Governments
plans related to decentralization and devolution of power to the regions. In this context,
my Government has for the first time in 11 years started collecting taxes in the capital
Mogadishu - which has been supported enthusiastically by the public.
The progress made by our Government in the continued pursuit of peace and stability in
the country was commended by the 74th Ordinary Session of the Council of
Ministers of the OAU, convened in Lusaka in July 2001:
Paragraph 7 of the Decisions adopted by this Council Expresses satisfaction at
the progress made by the TNG in the establishment of peace and security in the country and
requests the OAU and the international community to continue to assist the government in
this regard.
On the question of the national reconciliation, the principles upon which this process
is built upon include:
· The outcome of the Arta Peace
Process will remain to be the basis for the pursuit of the Somali National Reconciliation.
· This process will continue to be a Somali process and the Somali government will
welcome and embrace every positive effort exerted by the neighbouring countries and the
world community that can facilitate this process.
· The engaging of those who are outside the Arta Peace Process through sustained
dialogue and negotiations.
In light of these principles, the Somali Government has succeeded in bringing on aboard
two out of 5 factions based in Mogadishu, which were not supporting the Arta conference.
Intensive negotiations are going with the remaining factions and with the northern
administrative entities (Somaliland and Puntland).
My Government has recently established the National Reconciliation Commission
stipulated by the Interim Charter. This Commission will be operating independently of the
government and it will be composed of 25 Somali eminent political and historical figures.
Its mandate will focus on reconciling all the parties in Somalia with the view to
attaining a lasting peace and stability for all Somalis. It is envisaged that this
commission will facilitate the process of the establishment of the Federal Government
System, which will reflect the desire of the Somali society as a whole.
My Governments policies with regard to the National Reconciliation Commission are
consistent with the resolutions adopted by the UN, the OIC, the OAU, The League of Arab
States, and IGAD. The decisions on Somalia that have emanated from the 73rd and 74th
Sessions of the Council of Ministers of the OAU call upon the Member States and the
international community to assist the government in its endeavours pertaining to national
reconciliation.
Paragraph 3 of the decisions adopted by the 74th Ordinary Session of the Council of
Ministers Reiterates its earlier call to the Transitional National Government to
intensify its efforts so as to bring about a lasting national reconciliation, building
upon the outcome of the Arta Peace Process and supports in the efforts aimed at the
establishment of the National Reconciliation Commission.
Lack of funds and resources are precluding the beginning of the work of the Commission
and continues to constitute a major stumbling bloc. Given the importance of this
independent Commission and the role it can play in brining about a lasting peace and
stability in Somalia, the international community is called upon to shoulder its
responsibility and provide the resources needed to empower this Commission.
Paragraph 9 of the decisions adopted by the 74th Ordinary Session of the Council of
Ministers of the OAU Requests the Secretary General, to work closely with IGAD, the
League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Conference and the wider International
Community, to continue to support the Transitional National Government in its efforts to
sustain reconciliation and reconstruction in Somalia.
It is with deep regret that the warlords continue to be a major impediment to the
national reconciliation process. They have orchestrated and have been held responsible for
the kidnapping of the humanitarian aid workers. This kidnapping perpetrated by the
warlords has been condemned by the UN and the EU and had unfortunately caused a set back
in the quest of the peace process.
Moreover, Paragraph 8 of the decisions of Somalia adopted at the 74th Ordinary Session
of the Council of Ministers of the OAU strongly condemned the warlords who persist in
their stubbornness in blocking the peace efforts in Somalia.
The Somali Government welcomes the report of the Secretary General on the situation of
Somalia. We thank the Secretary General and the Secretariat for the support they extended
to the National Transitional Government of Somalia.
We have a historical link with the United Nations dating back to the times when part of
Somalia was placed under the Trusteeship of the UN. We also want to acknowledge the role
of the Secretary General for his continuous interest in my country. We believe that the
Secretary General of the UN and his Secretariat are genuinely interested in promoting
peace and national reconciliation in Somalia. We wish to thank the Secretary General for
his comprehensive report on the situation in Somalia; however, I would like to highlight
some points with respect to this report:
· We note with regret that the
report does not recommend the establishment of the Peace Building Mission in Somalia. This
decision is based on the result of the security assessment carried out by some
middle-level field officers stationed in Nairobi.
· We believe the failure to establish a Peace Building Mission in Somalia will send
the wrong signal to international community and particularly the regional and sub-regional
organizations, donors and the Warlords. This will further contribute to the vicious circle
of inadequate security and the perpetration of the benign neglect that Somalia has been
subjected to over a decade.
In our view, the establishment of the Peace Building Mission in Somalia is imperative
and critical at this moment. We propose the dispatch of a high level inter-agency UN
Mission to Somalia with a mandate to:
· Critically examine the work of
the security office in Nairobi.
· Re-evaluate in an objective manner the security situation in Mogadishu and the whole
of Somalia.
The Secretary General in his report expressed his intention to consult all concerned on
the feasibility and usefulness of setting up a Committee of Friends of Somalia to focus on
ways and means of drawing attention to Somalias needs in the area of national
reconciliation as well as to help mobilize funds for rehabilitation and development. The
Government welcomes the idea of the establishment of this Committee; it must however be
fully engaged in the consultations necessary for designing the framework under which this
Committee would function. Members of this Committee must be supportive for peace and
stability in Somalia and be willing to play a constructive role and have a genuine
interest in building upon Arta and its outcome. Furthermore, during the process of the
formation of this Committee, we must take into account the lessons of experience learned
with respect to the committee of friends mechanism especially in countries like
Angola.
We must also address the issue of reconstruction, rehabilitation and development
concurrently. My government inherited a country in shambles without resources; financial
and infrastructure. For the past year, my Government has been operating on a budget of
only $14 million dollars - despite, the daunting challenges. We believe that this
unconscionable for the international community to wait and watch while we struggle with
such meagre resources.
Briefly put, Somalia has now moved from the struggle for survival to the struggle for
peace. The United Nations and its partner aid agencies are needed to reflect this change
in planning new initiatives. An operational plan to support good governance and peace
building in Somalia is urgently needed. Peace and security is the key to Transitional
National Governments agenda and there can be no development without peace and
security.
This underpins a process by which the people of Somalia would begin the work of putting
the country back together. The United Nations and the international communitys role
are therefore vital for this endeavour.
Mr. President,
Excellencies,
Thank you very much for affording
me this opportunity to brief you on the recent developments in Somalia and to share with
you the ideas of my Government for bringing about peace, stability and development to our
troubled country.
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