THE SOMALI REPUBLIC STATEMENT
BY AT
THE New
York October 02, 2003 Mr. President, Allow me first of all to sincerely congratulate you on your election as President of the 58th Session of the General Assembly. Your election to the Presidency is a reflection of the high esteem the International community reserves for your country St. Lucia, and your person. At the same time, I would like to express our appreciation for the excellent manner your predecessor conducted the work of the 57th Session of the General Assembly. I would be remise if I do not pay tribute to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, H.E. Kofi Anan for his strong commitment to the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter and in defending so courageously the ideals on which this Organization is based. Mr. President, The destruction of the United Nations Headquarters in Baghdad and the unnecessary loss of life was a heinous crime against humanity and the United Nations. Sergio Vieira de Mello and his United Nations Co-workers were in Iraq not as an occupying power but were there to serve and address the humanitarian needs of the Iraqi People. This despicable act is tantamount to cutting the hand that feeds. We offer our sincere and profound condolences to the Secretary¬General, H.E. Kofi Anan, the United Nations family and bereaved families. In memory of the fallen, it is imperative for us, Member States, to accelerate ratification of the International Convention on the Protection of United Nations and Allied Personnel. Mr. President, The recent High-Level Meeting at United Nations Headquarters on the AIDS/HIV pandemic was of tremendous interest to the world and particularly to many countries in Africa. The AIDS scourage, having devastated entire communities, has also negatively impacted on the economic development of countries. In order to combat this scour age, it is incumbent upon the international community to make available more resources even in those countries where the incidence of the pandemic is reportedly low. My country, Somalia, is reported to be one of those countries in Africa with a very low rate of this pandemic. However, this should not lead us into complacency. Countries like Somalia have a unique chance to prevent the disease from spreading. An AIDS epidemic would be catastrophic for Somalia and would seriously hamper efforts for peace and nation-building. It is, therefore critical to put in place a coordinated and strategic AIDS education and early response programs to prevent the spread of the epidemic in Somalia. Prevention is better than cure. Mr. President, Recent developments in the international arena present us, the United Nations, with in some cases, unprecedented challenges. Whether we succeed or fail will depend primarily on the manner in which we address these challenges. And in our humble view, it is through the United Nations. We have to reinforce the principles of the United Nations Charter through which we can further cement the pillars of International legitimacy; on the basis of the equality of among nations - big or small, rich or poor - respect for the sovereignty of peoples, non¬interference in each others internal affairs, renunciation of the use of force in resolving conflicts and respect for human rights. Mr. President, There are those who violate these lofty principles with impunity. Israel is an example in this regard. The continued Israeli occupation of Arab lands, seized by war, denying the Palestinian people their dignity, daily killings of Palestinian children, siege of the legitimate leader of the Palestinian people and calls by Israeli officials for his killing, the suffering and daily humiliations inflicted on the Palestinian people are of great concern to the international community. We believe that these gross violations of International Law are not in the interest of Israel or peace in the Middle East. We believe that the Arab Initiative, which has the support of Arab States provides a unique opportunity for achieving a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East and specifically between Arabs and Israelis. Mr. President, The Situation in Iraq continues to be of great concern. The people of Iraq need peace and development. The people of Iraq need to be recuperated from the trauma of war and its aftermath. As a country that has witnessed war and its destruction, we know what the Iraqi people are going through. We empathize with them strongly. There must be a commitment from the international community for the respect of the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq. The withdrawal of the occupying forces from Iraq as soon as possible and the establishment a truly representative government for Iraq based on a constitution acceptable to all Iraqis continues to be an imperative. In this regard, Mr. President, the United Nations can and must play the central role in bringing peace to Iraq. Mr. President, A fresh wind is blowing throughout Africa; from the West of the continent to its East and Central regions. This fresh wind is one of hope and peace not only for Africa but also for the world. This wind of hope and peace needs to be nurtured and sustained by the international community. Mr. President, We welcome the progress made in the search of peace in African countries; in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Sierra-Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau. The latest and most welcome progress towards peace is the 22nd September 2003 agreement signed in Naivasha/Kenya by the government of Sudan and the SPLM/SPLA. We encourage the parties to resolve the remaining outstanding issues in a spirit of accommodation and mutual understanding. We, also, commend IGAD, ECOWAS, African Union and the United Nations, individual countries for their valuable assistance in bringing peace to areas of conflict in Africa. Mr. President, We express our deep gratitude to the Government and people of Kenya for hosting us and for their perseverance. We strongly commend Kenya for its active role in promoting peace in Somalia. I, also, take this opportunity to thank the Secretary General of the United Nations for his valuable support for the peace process in Somalia. The IPF, African Union, LAS, OIC and IGAD are to be commended for their firm commitment and input into this process. Mr. President, The Somali National Reconciliation at Mbagatti enters its 12th month. A lot of ground has been covered during this period. The Declaration on the Cessation of Hostilities was adopted and the African Union has put in place a monitoring mechanism. African Union monitors criss-cross nearly all areas of Somalia to ensure the implementation of the Declaration on the Cessation of Hostilities. Equally important is the completion of the first two phases of the Conference. Despite such progress, we have been struggling with the last and crucial Phase of the Conference for the past four months. This last phase envisaged the adoption of an interim Charter to be followed by the election of an interim Head of State and the formation of an all-inclusive government of Somalia. However, Mr. President, disagreements regarding the content of the interim Charter and other important matters, continue to persist. The provisions of the Interim Charter that raise the concerns of many, touch upon the shape and very foundations of the reconstituted Somali State. It is for this reason that the Conference is currently in suspense and stalled with the Transitional National Government and at least seven other groups refraining from participation. Mr. President, Any interim Charter for Somalia, in our view, must meet certain, basic criteria. It must have Somali ownership; second, be the result of a fair and transparent process; have the support of the Somali stakeholders; be enforceable on the ground; reflect the unity and indivisibility of the Somali Nation. And finally, any government that is established under this interim Charter should be an all¬inclusive one. By the same token, any agreements reached in Kenya must be on consensus basis, have the support of the Somalis as well as the International Community and must be enforceable on the ground. To facilitate an agreement based on these criterion, a re-evaluation of the manner in which the conference is currently being run is called for. The IGAD Frontline States must observe the principle of impartiality and neutrality without which no mediation can be taken seriously. Furthermore, the IGAD Frontline states must confine their role to that of an active facilitator and thirdly attempts to fast-track the process with a view to reaching any agreement in haste and at any price must be discouraged. Mr. President, In spite of the current difficulties and statement, I am here to reiterate before this august Assembly the sincere commitment of the Transitional National Government to the IGAD led peace process for Somalia. I hereby state that the TNG will re-join the peace conference in Mbagatti, Kenya as soon as its concerns are fairly addressed. We do this not only for ourselves but also for the Somali people that have suffered so long. I submit, Mr. President that the solution lies in assisting, the parties to come to an agreement that is owned by all Somalis, rather than imposing something against their will. We urge the international community to actively engage itself n the realization of this goal. Mr. President, The international community has an obligation to re-engage in Somalia in a very serious manner, to re-enforce its role as a promoter of peace in Somalia at the Security Council and another levels; as it did with other conflict' areas in Africa. It is not enough to "observe" or "wait and see". Somalia needs a serious sponsor to push the peace forward. And finally, Mr. President, we urge the neighboring countries of. Somalia to scrupulously comply with the Arms Embargo on Somalia imposed by Security Council. We strongly urge them to do so in the interest of peace and security in the sub-region. I thank you. |