Friday, 26 March 2010
Managing the status quo in Somalia is not an option
Nairobi, 26 March 2010 – On the eve of the Arab League Summit in Libya, the United Nations Special Representative for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, today said that he was pleased with the momentum of the events taking place related to advancing the Somali peace process.
“We are a quarter of the way into the second year of the TFG’s term and managing the status quo is not an option. A number of firm and significant steps have been made that show the willingness and ability of the Government to use this transitional period wisely and for the benefit of the Somali people.”
Mr Ould-Abdallah said that the signing of an agreement between the Somali Government and Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama’a which took place on the 15 March was an additional indication of the Government’s commitment to associate all willing parties towards restoring peace and reconciliation.
On the 23 March, Mr Ould-Abdallah, together with the Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke and Ambassador Boubacar G. Diarra, head of the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) opened a meeting of the Joint Security Committee (JSC) in Nairobi. The meeting looked at the progress made to date in area of Security Sector Reform and discussed forward actions required in the area of the Transitional Federal Government’s national security and stabilization plan. Training initiatives supported by the European Union and the other members of the international community were also assessed.
“Increasingly, and at a realistic pace, the Government is working together with Somalis and its international partners to achieve the benchmarks within the framework of the Djibouti Peace Agreement,” Mr Ould-Abdallah said.
A three-week workshop in Djibouti convening members of the Independent Federal Constitutional Commission (IFCC) ended on 23 March with new parameters laid out for the Constitutional process. The Commission - previously made up of 15 members of the TFG - extended its participants to 30 and appointed a new Chair. The group agreed on an organizational chart, delegating responsibilities to various standing committees and thematic subgroups in areas such as civic education, legal affairs and public awareness. The IFCC is expected to have a final draft Constitution prepared by the 1st of July.
Following up from a meeting held in December last year in Jeddah where the TFG presented its priorities to the International Contact Group (ICG), a meeting of the group hosted by the League of Arab States (LAS) will take place on the 21 and 22 April in Cairo. The meeting will survey what has been achieved and determine what tasks require urgent undertaking.
In accordance with Article 11 of the Djibouti Agreement, a conference addressing Somalia’s Reconstruction and Development is expected to take place on 22 May in Istanbul, hosted by the Government of Turkey. High level participation from Somalia and its partners will convene to discuss concrete projects.
Mr Ould-Abdallah said he met with the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Miguel Ángel Moratinos Cuyaubé, his Secretary of State Angel Lossada Torres-Quevedo and their close associates in Madrid to outline plans for the upcoming meetings and conferences in Cairo and Istanbul. He said that that the Minister expressed his Government’s continuing interest in raising the international profile of Somalia to help promote stability and security and address piracy off the Somali coast.
“Even though it is still faced with a number of critical challenges, the Somali Government is increasingly a credible partner. If it and the international community stay the course and remain focused, by August 2011 Somalia will have a solid foundation on which to build.”
“We are a quarter of the way into the second year of the TFG’s term and managing the status quo is not an option. A number of firm and significant steps have been made that show the willingness and ability of the Government to use this transitional period wisely and for the benefit of the Somali people.”
Mr Ould-Abdallah said that the signing of an agreement between the Somali Government and Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama’a which took place on the 15 March was an additional indication of the Government’s commitment to associate all willing parties towards restoring peace and reconciliation.
On the 23 March, Mr Ould-Abdallah, together with the Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke and Ambassador Boubacar G. Diarra, head of the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) opened a meeting of the Joint Security Committee (JSC) in Nairobi. The meeting looked at the progress made to date in area of Security Sector Reform and discussed forward actions required in the area of the Transitional Federal Government’s national security and stabilization plan. Training initiatives supported by the European Union and the other members of the international community were also assessed.
“Increasingly, and at a realistic pace, the Government is working together with Somalis and its international partners to achieve the benchmarks within the framework of the Djibouti Peace Agreement,” Mr Ould-Abdallah said.
A three-week workshop in Djibouti convening members of the Independent Federal Constitutional Commission (IFCC) ended on 23 March with new parameters laid out for the Constitutional process. The Commission - previously made up of 15 members of the TFG - extended its participants to 30 and appointed a new Chair. The group agreed on an organizational chart, delegating responsibilities to various standing committees and thematic subgroups in areas such as civic education, legal affairs and public awareness. The IFCC is expected to have a final draft Constitution prepared by the 1st of July.
Following up from a meeting held in December last year in Jeddah where the TFG presented its priorities to the International Contact Group (ICG), a meeting of the group hosted by the League of Arab States (LAS) will take place on the 21 and 22 April in Cairo. The meeting will survey what has been achieved and determine what tasks require urgent undertaking.
In accordance with Article 11 of the Djibouti Agreement, a conference addressing Somalia’s Reconstruction and Development is expected to take place on 22 May in Istanbul, hosted by the Government of Turkey. High level participation from Somalia and its partners will convene to discuss concrete projects.
Mr Ould-Abdallah said he met with the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Miguel Ángel Moratinos Cuyaubé, his Secretary of State Angel Lossada Torres-Quevedo and their close associates in Madrid to outline plans for the upcoming meetings and conferences in Cairo and Istanbul. He said that that the Minister expressed his Government’s continuing interest in raising the international profile of Somalia to help promote stability and security and address piracy off the Somali coast.
“Even though it is still faced with a number of critical challenges, the Somali Government is increasingly a credible partner. If it and the international community stay the course and remain focused, by August 2011 Somalia will have a solid foundation on which to build.”
Final Declaration by the Global Centre for Renewal and Guidance
The Conference of Peace and Reconciliation of Somalia that was attended by notable Islamic scholars took place in Dubai on 13 – 14 March 2010.
The Conference outlined the following decisions:
Fighting and killing amongst Muslims is prohibited by Sharia law;
Somali people should join and support the Somali Government in order to achieve security and stability in Somalia;
Fighting amongst Somalis, who are Muslims and from one nation, is not considered “Jihad”, it is prohibited by Sharia law;
Accusing the Government of not enforcing Sharia law and using it as a pretext to enforce it by ordinary people is prohibited. Restrictive ordinance of God should be enforced by credible authorities during times of peace and stability not during anarchy and war. It is against Islamic Sharia to execute restrictive ordinance of God during war or accuse other Muslims of being infidels. This should be left to the authorities.
The Conference made the following Recommendations:
The Governments of Arabic and Islamic countries must help and support the Somali Government;
Islamic scholars should raise awareness and educate the Somali Diaspora around the world;
Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama’a should sign the agreement with the government as soon as possible;
The Conference of Somali scholars should announce these recommendations and create a plan to rid Somalia of conflict and work towards peace and stability. This is the real “Jihad”. A plan for life, not for death. A plan to reestablish and reconstruct government's institutions and unite the government and parliament to work towards peace.
The Conference outlined the following decisions:
Fighting and killing amongst Muslims is prohibited by Sharia law;
Somali people should join and support the Somali Government in order to achieve security and stability in Somalia;
Fighting amongst Somalis, who are Muslims and from one nation, is not considered “Jihad”, it is prohibited by Sharia law;
Accusing the Government of not enforcing Sharia law and using it as a pretext to enforce it by ordinary people is prohibited. Restrictive ordinance of God should be enforced by credible authorities during times of peace and stability not during anarchy and war. It is against Islamic Sharia to execute restrictive ordinance of God during war or accuse other Muslims of being infidels. This should be left to the authorities.
The Conference made the following Recommendations:
The Governments of Arabic and Islamic countries must help and support the Somali Government;
Islamic scholars should raise awareness and educate the Somali Diaspora around the world;
Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama’a should sign the agreement with the government as soon as possible;
The Conference of Somali scholars should announce these recommendations and create a plan to rid Somalia of conflict and work towards peace and stability. This is the real “Jihad”. A plan for life, not for death. A plan to reestablish and reconstruct government's institutions and unite the government and parliament to work towards peace.
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