- Title: [SW News](Al-Hayat)A/Kassim: " Aideed
requested FM Portfolio"
- Posted by/on:[AMJ][Wednsday, January 17, 2001]
AL-HAYAT
TUESDAY 9 JANUARY 2001 ISSUE N0.13814
(This interview
was carried out by the Arabic Daily Newspaper Al-Hayat)
Abdiqassim: Aideed
requested Foreign Minister Portfolio as a price for joining his
government
Al-Hayat:
Since your election as president of Somalia last August, we haven't
seen any radical changes in Mogadishu and Somalia in general in the
security and political fields. Why?
Abdulqasim
Salad: The age of our government is less
than one hundred days, during which it received international
recognition starting from the United Nations, the Arab League passing
through the Organisation of Islamic Countries and the Organisation of
African Unity. Somalia has also recovered its seat in these
international and regional organisations. Internally, the situation is
more complex and would require long time and huge resources. The
priority is the security of Mogadishu and the rest of the country. In
this framework, we started in the capital where all the major public
institutions are, like the government, the parliament and others. This
was no easy task because chaos and armed militias reigned in the
capital. Despite all these difficulties we moved to Mogadishu instead
of Baidoa (west Somalia) which was recommended by the Arta conference
to make a temporary capital. We chose to be in the capital.
AL-Hayat:
But the capital is still divided among the leaders of the tribal
groups and each one controls one area, like Osman Atto and others,
which means that you are not controlling the whole city.
Abdiqassim:
There are no areas in the capital that
is controlled by individuals pertaining to this or that group. But
there are pockets. You mentioned Atto (Osman Hassan), there is a
distance of less than one kilometre between my residence and his
residence, and that does not mean that Atto controls the whole capital
or part of it. Similarly, Muse Sudi Yalahow who controls another
pocket called Medina.
Al-Hayat:
Does that mean you do not also control the whole capital?
Abdiqassim:
We do not want these pockets to be cause for a war between the
government and these groups and what remains of them, because we are
the government of national unity not a government of war. We are
seeking dialogue to complete what is left of the peace process. This
dialogue has borne fruits when we agreed lately with one of these
groups when Hussein Haji Bod joined the government. We have asked him
to mediate between the opposition and us since he was one of them.
AL-Hayat:
The leaders of the militias are holding you for excluding them from
the Arta conference, and today you are seeking to negotiate with them.
Abdiqassim:
We did not exclude any of the leaders of
the groups. The Djibouti president sent them delegations and planes
that would take them from Somalia to Arta. The last one to whom a
plane was sent was the son of Aideed (Hussein Mohamed Farah)
Al-Hayat:
But the invitations were sent to them as individuals and not as
leaders of groups who have overthrown Siyad Barre.
Abdiqassim:
The only thing that we did not accept and President Guelleh did not
accept was to limit the conference to the leaders of the groups. The
Arta conference was for all, and that was the reason for its success.
Al-Hayat:
Is there a hope for a final solution, especially now that Atto and
Aideed are stressing that they will not negotiate with you as a
president, but as part of the conflict?
Abdiqassim:
That is what they are saying, but in reality they are negotiating with
the government. During the last meetings in Yemen where President Ali
Abdalla Saleh was mediating between us, they have shown their desire
to negotiate with the government.
Al-Hayat:
Has Aideed requested the foreign affairs portfolio during the Yemen
mediation?
Abdiqassim:
Yes, and there are the minutes, which you can read. There was no
united request fro the opposition leaders. There is one who wanted the
position of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. Another wanted
the ministerial position to be increased so that he and his supporters
would join the government. Yet another wanted the assimilation of his
militias and general amnesty.
Mohamed Ibrahim Egal (president
of the Republic of Somaliland in the north of the country) wanted
recognition of Somaliland as a federation and proposed that I
recognise him as president of Somaliland in exchange for his
recognition of the government in Mogadishu. He himself said:
"I'll talk to president Abdulqassim if he recognises me as
president", and he confirmed that he'll discuss this issues.
In this framework, Egal is
considered to be at the furthest distance now. The rest are
negotiating (through intermediaries) and we want to have an agreement
between us. We received lately an invitation from President Saleh for
a dialogue in a conference that will be held in Yemen with the other
parties. We expect this meeting to take place after Eid or early in
the year.
Al-Hayat:
Do you expect a solution to be near?
Abdiqassim:
Yes.
Al-Hayat:
When? Within weeks?
Abdiqassim:
May be within a month or two or even more.
Al-Hayat:
Is there any plan to re-open the port and airport of Mogadishu and
would their opening be tied to political agreement with the
opposition?
Abdiqassim:
We'll open the airport and seaport soon regardless of agreements.
There are technical issue, not political, that are standing in the way
of re-opening. It is not possible for the groups (opposition) to block
the opening of these important public places. If they try to block
them, all the people will protest. But at the moment we want to make
sure that the port and airport are working and the electricity and
technical equipments are present. We also want to make sure that there
is no obstacle from any direction.
Al-Hayat:
We hear every time that some individuals or groups print Somali
currency and release it onto the market. What is the currency case in
the country?
Abdiqassim:
There is a particular currency that is used in north Mogadishu, and it
is a new form of the Somali currency which (former president) Mohamed
Siyad Barre has decreed to be issued and has advised to be printed
outside Somalia before he was overthrown. It was brought into the
country by the authorities who were in control of north Mogadishu at
the beginning of the war. In the south of Mogadishu is the old
currency and new prints of it as has the authorities in northeast
Somalia [Puntland] also printed some quantities of the same currency
and there is a new currency in north Somalia (Somaliland). All these
currencies came out during the tragic situation that the country has
seen during the war. In the near future we’ll issue a new currency
with the help of the international organisations from which we need
technical assistance to get rid of all the forged currencies. We’ll
not allow, after the stabilisation of the security situation, the
entrance of these currencies into the country. We’ll protest to the
countries in which are based the companies that print the Somali
currency without the authorisation of the Transitional Government.
Al-Hayat:
But it is said that a new consignment of Somali currency valued at
three million dollars is brought into the capital last December by
businessmen. What is your comment?
Abdiqassim:
I don’t know personally whether the currency you are talking about
is present in the city or not. I have heard it as you have heard. I
don’t have any information if they (businessmen) have brought it or
not. This matter concerns them. But we’ll not allow, after the
stabilisation of the security situation, the entrance of these
currencies into the country.
Al-Hayat:
What about the Islamic courts that were passing judgements and
implementing it on the people during the war?
Abdiqassim:
These are five tribal courts in south Mogadishu, and they have joined
us in Arta. The judiciary will be unitary under the official judicial
system which will take its place and play its role. Thus, the role of
the Islamic courts will end.
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