Somalia Deputy Prime Minister Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail speaks during the second around of Somalia talks in the Sudanese capital Khartoum September 2, 2006. Somalia's interim government and rival Islamists resumed direct peace talks on Saturday in Sudan, pushing for reconciliation and power-sharing to avert a war in the lawless country that could destabilise the region.
From the Bimaal Dir clan and Somalia's ex-Russia ambassador.
STATEMENT BY: H.E. Mr ABDULLAHI SHEIKH
ISMAIL , MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
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TRANSITIONAL FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF THE SOMALI
REPUBLIC
AT THE HIGH-LEVEL PLENARY MEETING OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
16 September 2005
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
425 East 61st Street, Suite 702 New York, N .Y. 10021 Tel: (212) 688-9410 Fax: (212) 759-0651
Mr. President, Excellencies, Heads of State
and Governments
Distinguished Representatives: His Excellency Koffi Annan,
Secretary General of the United Nations; It gives me great pleasure to address
this August Assembly of World Leaders and present our sincere congratulations to
you on your well deserved election. We are confident that you will guide our
deliberations to a successful conclusion. Let me also commend your predecessor
for the able manner with which he conducted the work of the assembly during his
presidency. Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen; Allow me to convey first and
foremost, on behalf of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia our
sincere condolences to the President and People of the United States of America
and in particular to the populations living in the Gulf Coast, where a ferocious
hurricane has killed and displaced thousands of people, destroying cities and
infrastructures, causing untold hardship and suffering. We are indeed happy and
encouraged by the overwhelming suppo rt and international solidarity extended to
the victims of this tragedy and hope that the distressed families will regain
normal life as soon as possible.
The Somali people truly associate themselves to the anxieties
and pain experienced by the people of the United States and we feel that our
human solidarity could be considered as the most valuable expression of
compassion and moral help. Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen; I would like to
take this opportunity to congratulate the United Nations in its 60th Anniversary
celebrations and express our renewed confidence and commitment to this world
body as it stands to work for international peace and the progress of humanity.
We also commend our organization for the tireless and invaluable cont ribution
it has made towards the attainment of sustainable peace and socio-economic
development, as well as upholding the political right of all people,
irrespective of race, gender, soci al status and beliefs. Of course nobody can
deny that set backs and general disappointments were unavoidable in the history
of the United Nations and certain expectations were not fully accomplished, but
the ideals remain in tact and valid as its first day of inception. Mr.
President, Ladies and Gentlemen; The world is still ravaged by conflicts,
political misperceptions and poverty which still need to be addressed so that
harmony, understanding, and equitable sharing of resources and can be actualized
in the interest of world peace and unprejudiced international cooperation. The
recognition of the right of the Palestinian people for a state of their own,
along side Israel, and a peaceful Middle East Region are still fundamental aims
to be achieved so strengthen world peace and security. In this new Post Cold War
era, internal conflicts are replacing inter-State con frontations in
International Affairs and any new situation demands a fresh approach, so is the
need for a new outlook in order to have sustainable regional and international
stability. Poverty and underdevelopment cannot be disassociated from the
increased international tension and conflict which afflicts the political
stability in various pa rts of the world, thus poisoning normal relationship
between nations, since boundaries are pointless in this age of global
interaction. There can be no human security unless this reality of
inter-connectedness is taken into proper consideration in all our policy and
decision making processes. Today, the balance of rational reasoning is the only
source of guarantee to international security rather than relying on the
imbalances of force. Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen; The reform of the
United Nations is one of the crucial ways to face all of these new challenges of
this new Millennium by making our organization more Democratic, transparent,
efficient, and capable to respond to the diverse aspirations and concerns of the
different components of the International Community, at Continental and Regional
levels. Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen; Let me know turn to the current
developments in my home count ry, Somalia. The conflict situation which
prevailed in Somalia for the past 14 years is attributed basically to the
failure of adequate international response. It is a matter of public domain that
the up surge of civil war has led to a total collapse of our national
institutions and infrastructures with all, drastic consequences and grave
implications for the stability of the region and international peace and
security, as well. I'm not here to dwell at length on the causes of the
conflict, but on its costs and consequences, since evil could originate
imperceptible m an made tragedies and circumstances.
International political indifferences and
sense of inertia have characterized the conduct of the International Community
which has aggravated the civil war and allowed unabated human suffering and
environmental destruction to continue. What the Somali people desired and still
deserve is active engagement of the Inte rnational Community and not abandonment
or surrender of hope.
The past is past with all its sorrows but the repercussions of
forgotten International obligations are still present. The International
Community shall contribute to the revival of our State and to stand by our side
in our efforts to rebuild our nation rather than indulging in trivials. And it
is here, where great minds and principled commitments have to have a synergy to
help the Somali people overcome their political and human debacle, rather than
assuming a pathetic or passive attitude. In this context, however we cannot
forget the critical role of IGAD member States, the African Union, the IGAD
partners' forum, the European Union, the Arab League, and the United Nations in
providing support and encouragement for the Somali National Reconciliation
process which was held in Kenya for almost 3 years. At this juncture, allow me
to express our deep gratitude to the Keny an Government and people for hosting
the Somali National Reconciliation Conference. We thank our brothers in Kenya
and all the neighboring countries for also sheltering thousands of Somali
refugees in their territories throughout these years of turmoil and conflict.
Moreover, as special tribute goes to His Excellency Koffi Annaan, for his
tireless endeavors to bring the Somali conflict to an end and for all the
humanitarian aid that has been provided during all these years of unrest and
civil strife. The culmination of all these efforts resulted in the establishment
of a Transitional Federal Government whose delegations in this summit is guided
by His Excellency Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, President of the Federal Republic of
Somalia. As we speak now the new State Institutions are operating from within
Somalia, from Jowhar temporarily, the provincial capital of the lower Shebelle
region, situated only 90 kilometers from Mogadishu, the capital city of Somalia.
The Transitional Federal Government is actively engaged in producing a conducive
political and security climate and is committed to establish operational offices
in the capital, and in other parts of the count ry, as an essential part of its
political obligation to reach out to the entire population and promote
broad-based grassroots reconciliation. The Transitional Federal Government is
committed to the strengthening and consolidation of the Transitional Federal
Institutions, as a pillar of democratic governance, without condoning, at the
same time, the use of domestic differences of opinion to undermine the
achievements of a 2 year long reconciliation process and with a view of
perpetuating anarchy and chaos. However, direct dialogue will be our key
instrument to promote inter-institutional cooperation, without sacrificing the
aspirations of our people and no group will be ever denied to have their
independent political platform within the context of normal and acceptable
parliamentary and constitutional traditions. We feel that stability of Somalia
should not solely be the work of the Somalis as wickedly propagated or oftenly
repeated. Though the responsibility of past failure is partly ours, the
International Community has no excuse in distancing itself regardless of
whatever situation prevails. It is therefore, our firm belief that they should
come to fully suppo rt our efforts in this crucial institutional consolidation
process, so as to fully restore peace and stability for the sake of nation
building and reconstruction of our country, knowing that everything has to start
from scratch. The absence of a firm support to regain Somalia back into the fold
of the Inte rnational Community and making it stable will only play into the
hands of International terrorism and those who promote the continuation of an
environment of chaos and lawlessness. In conclusion, the Transitional Federal
Government finds this podium as the appropriate stance to launch a vibrant
appeal to the members of the International Community to come to the aid of
Somalia with all their determination and resources to help our people overcome
14 years of civil war and consequent deterioration in all spheres of life, which
will not only be contributive in safeguarding regional stability but also that
of the International Community as well. The Transitional Federal Government
strongly urges the United Nations to suppo rt the current IGAD/AU efforts in
sending a peace stabilization mission to Somalia in order to help restore peace
and security and prevent reoccurrence of hostilities and violence again, so that
the transition period will be instrumental in establishing the democratic
society and long lasting peace. Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen; If the
values of solidarity have to prevail as far as Somalia is concerned, then we
sincerely hope and urgently call upon the International Community to act swiftly
with no more wait and see attitudes which could produce an undesired slide back
rather than forging ahead toward stability and institutional consolidation.
In the name of our people, men, women,
children, elders, displaced families and our deprived young generations, I
strongly appeal before this August Assembly and hope that our plea will be
heeded in all humble consciousness.
Thank you.
 
KHARTOUM, Sudan — Somalia's foreign minister and a representative of the faction that controls the country's capital signed an agreement here Thursday that calls for an immediate cease-fire and confers mutual recognition on the warring parties.
"The parties have committed themselves to cease all verbal provocation and all military action," the secretary general of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, said at the signing ceremony, which was presided over by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. "The two parties agreed to reach a compromise that preserves the unity and integrity of Somalia," Moussa told reporters. He said the delegation from the Islamic Courts, the militia that controls the capital Mogadishu and most of southern Somalia, agreed to recognize the legitimacy of the interim government, which is based in Baidoa, 155 miles northwest of Mogadishu. The U.N.-backed government "recognizes the reality and existence of the Islamic Courts," Moussa said. Capitol fighting killed hundreds The Islamic Courts Union, which groups moderate Muslims as well as fundamentalists, captured Mogadishu earlier this month after sporadic fighting with an alliance of warlords that had gone on for months and killed hundreds of people. Moussa said both parties also agreed to prosecute war criminals and to reconvene on July 15 in Khartoum to negotiate a full peace agreement without preconditions. Somalia's interim President Abdullahi Yusuf, who attended the signing ceremony, said his government intended to negotiate peace with the Islamic Courts. "We have no interest in shedding any blood, and we will seek every possible way to preserve the life of the Somalis," Yusuf said. Foreign Minister Abdallah Sheikh Ismail signed the agreement with the chief delegate of the Islamic Courts, Mohamed Ali Ibrahim. Peace pledge, then a hug The two men hugged each other afterward. Somalia has been without an effective central government since warlords toppled dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991 and then turned on each another. The transitional government established in 2004 has the support of the international community, but it wields little power and includes some of the warlords blamed for the country's disintegration. The Islamic Courts aims to establish an Islamic state. Its leaders portray themselves as a new force capable of imposing the order that many Somalis long for. But the extremism of some of its members, and allegations of links to terrorism, have provoked international concern.
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