France has confirmed it intends to vote for Palestinian non-member status at the United Nations later this week. Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said France had long backed Palestinian ambitions for statehood and would vote yes "out of a concern for coherency". The Palestinians are asking the UN General Assembly to upgrade their status from permanent observer to a "non-member observer state". The vote is due to take place later this week. "This Thursday or Friday, when the question is asked, France will vote yes," Mr Fabius told the lower house of parliament. But he cautioned: "It's only with negotiations between the two sides that we demand immediately, without any preconditions, that a Palestinian state can become a reality." Backing international recognition of a Palestinian state was a campaign pledge made by Francois Hollande before he became France's president earlier this year. France - a permanent member of the UN Security Council - is the first major European country to come out in favour of the move. Germany is expected to vote against, while the UK's ambassador to the UN, Mark Lyall Grant, said on Tuesday that London remained undecided. According to AFP news agency, Mr Lyall Grant told reporters the UK thought the Palestinians should delay the application, but was still in talks with the Palestinian Authority and would decide "in due time" how to vote. 'Unilateral steps' An upgrade in status would allow the Palestinians to participate in General Assembly debates and improve their chances of joining UN agencies and the International Criminal Court (ICC), although the process would be neither automatic nor guaranteed. If they are allowed to sign the ICC's founding treaty, the Rome Statute, the Palestinians hope to take legal action in the court to challenge Israel's occupation of the West Bank. The bid follows an attempt in 2011 by Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority and chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), to join the UN as a full member state, which failed because of a lack of support in the Security Council. Observers say the latest Palestinian application is likely win approval in the 193-member UN General Assembly, as it needs to only a simple majority to pass. According to the PLO, more than 130 countries already grant the Palestinians the rank of a sovereign state. But Israel and the United States are concerned that the move is an attempt by the Palestinian Authority to secure statehood through the United Nations rather than through negotiation, as set out in the 1993 Oslo peace accords. Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Lior Ben Dor told the BBC earlier this month that if the Palestinians, with UN non-member observer status, asked the ICC to resolve disputes with Israel, then Israel would "take unilateral steps to protect its interests". He did not elaborate on what those measures would be. President Abbas has said he does not "want any confrontations with the United States or Israel", adding: "If we can start a dialogue or negotiations the day after the [uN] vote, we will."

I have been blacklisted.

Nin-Yaaban..you are saying, he is lazy.

I am outraged Alpha is included in the list but not Apophis.

These gatherings serve no purpose. The rule in SOL is, everbody is nationalist until they disagree or shoot down my argument.

Haatu and tutu are good examples I guess.

We should know accept that only Somalis can defeat AS instead of 'inviting' with competing interests.

oba hiloowlow;893209 wrote: +1. I support that the government should make up a strategy to engage those regions a bit more. And mind you the reason Puntland wants the Constitution adopted and implemented is to legally define and setup the framework that will address the issue of taxation. Without such framework, Puntland wouldn't simply get lump sum of money from its treasury and hand over to the Government without any qualification or terms of reference. You need a system in place. The best the Government could do now is to setup a system in Benadir and if successful, use it benchmark. In the meantime, the Government should start talking to regional administrations and come to political understanding.

Oba..As far as Puntland is concerned, the Government is only in name, a fact accentuated by the Government's inability to exert itself beyond Xamar. What's more, the Government has no strategy or framework to engage the various regions and setup a formula to collect taxes and distribute the revenues equitably. It's really simplistic to ask why shouldn't Puntland pay taxes considering the Government made no effort to engage it and has no strategy at all.

oba hiloowlow;893193 wrote: the government tax bakaara and Suuqbacaad, the port and the airport. Are you sure? From what I understand the government only collects fees from the ports and I don't think it has the capacity to collect anything from suuqa Bakaraaha or Bacaad. It's worth noting that government doesn't contribute anything to Puntland and has no sovereignty over it, realistically speaking, I don't would expect anything from Puntland.

Does the goverment taxi traders in Bakaaraha and other business. Do house owners pay property tax?

^I would imagine so!

No worries mate.

Haatu;893085 wrote: tutu, after all this, do you still feel Kenyan and do you see the future of our region in Kenya? A Somali will never be Kenyan or Ethiopian even if they see themselves as one. That said, NFD best option NOW is Kenya.

oba hiloowlow;893168 wrote: let the game begin!! People will die, that's hardly a game.

33 chiefs sacked in Garissa over claims of laxity amid insecurity Monday, November 26, 2012 By Boniface Ongeri GARISSA; KENYA: A senior State offi cial has sacked 33 chiefs and their assistants in Garissa town and its environs for allegedly failing to help stop terror attacks in the area. In the move likely to draw criticism from residents and legislators, North Eastern Provincial Commissioner Ernest Munyi also suspended issuance of national identity cards (IDs) in the area. Munyi said he sacked the chiefs for alleged laxity in the fight against Al Shabaab militants, claiming they had taken for granted recent attacks on State security officers in the town. “The chiefs are not helping us with crucial information we need to help end the Al Shabaab menace in the town. They have taken the killings ofour security offi cers and civilians as sack all of them,” Munyi told journalists in his office. But several chiefs and their assistants who spoke to The Standard on condition of anonymity said the PC had not communicated the sacking to them. “We have been holding a series of meetings with the residents to appeal for assistance. We have risked our lives to condemn the Al Shabaab attacks and if it is true that we have been sacked then that is sad,” one of the chiefs lamented. “Someone should take responsibility for the deteriorating insecurity in the town. We are being used as sacrificial lambs and scapegoats for someone’s failure,” another said. On suspension of ID cards issuance, Munyi explained non-Kenyans were illegally acquiring the crucial document. “We have observed that the identity cards vetting committees are continuing issuing ID cards to people who are not Kenyans. Until we control the situation, issuance of the cards has been stopped with immediate effect,” said Munyi. He said some of the people getting the identity cards were aliens who are using the documents to engage in illegal trade. Munyi said there are many foreign visitors in the town and it is the responsibility of the chiefs and their assistants to monitor their activities. Security meetings He said he held security meetings with the chiefs pleading for their assistance, but it was not forthcoming. The sackings came after the killing of three soldiers by suspected Al Shabaab militants that sparked rampage by the military. Yesterday our sister paper, The Standard on Sunday carried a special report titled “State of Lawlessness”, that deplored the rising insecurity and highlighted the lip service the Government pays intelligence reports warning of possible attacks. Munyi said the murders of security officers, subsequent killing of two and injuring of over 50 civilians was unfortunate and said investigations over violence are ongoing. Munyi blamed the spate of deadly attacks in the town to aliens. “We cannot lose so many innocent lives of citizens and security officers while the chiefs are silent. It is because of that that I have decided to sack the chiefs in Township locality,” he said. Garissa County Commissioner Mohammed Maalim said one person was arrested in connection with the killing of the soldiers and is assisting police in investigations. Garissa has borne the brunt of most terror attacks since the Kenya Defence Forces launched an onslaught against Al Shabaab militants in Somalia. Suspected militants and their sympathisers are believed to be responsible for several attacks on churches and security officers in the town leading to the death of over 25 people. The PC also said the government will launch a crackdown on vehicles flouting traffic rules in Garissa town. “There are (unmarked) taxis operating without yellow lines and vehicles with tinted windows and we will crack down on them because we have established that some have been used by terrorists to commit crimes in Garissa,” he said. He assured all efforts were being made to restore security in the town and residents should go about their business without fear. Meanwhile, two Parliamentary committees met the Provincial and District Committees separately on Saturday over security.The National Security Committee led by chairman Fred Kapondi barred journalists from covering their meeting. Revenge attacks However, at a press briefing later, another committee called for the immediate transfer of Somalia National Army (SNA) soldiers admitted at the Garissa Provincial Hospital, for security reasons. The Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee Chairman Aden Keynan said the 28 officers admitted at the hospital are targets of revenge attacks by Al Shabaab sympathisers and pose a serious security risk to staff, patients and visitors to the facility. “The Kenya Government has an understanding with the African Mission in Somalia (Amisom) to treat the (SNA) soldiers who are injured fighting Al Shabaab. Nevertheless, the Somalia soldiers should be transferred to Forces Memorial Hospital (in Nairobi) and not be mixed with civilians,” he said. Separately, officials from the Ministry of Special Programmes assessing the damage sparked by the killing of three soldiers said the destruction of properties was overwhelming. Led by Assistant Minister Mohammed Gabow, the assessors said most of the affected traders would need financial assistance to start afresh. Gabow said it would be especially difficult for small-scale traders to recover without help. “We are talking of more than 800 traders with more than 40,000 direct dependents. Something needs to be done to compensate the victims,” Gabow pleaded. On Saturday, Special Programmes Minister, Esther Murugi scoffed at Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s request that her ministry compensate victims of last week’s riots, saying she cannot obey a roadside directive. But Gabow said he would table his findings for special consideration and compensation for genuine traders. http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2012/Nov/27032/33_chiefs_sacked_in_garissa_over_claims_of_laxity_amid_insecurity.aspx

Abwaan;892895 wrote: Are these the liberators of the upcoming, xalaal-based, Federal State of Jubbaland? These are the same tactics that Ethiopians use. I still don't understand why the Ethiopians are on a Somali soil. I care less about if they are fighting with Al-Shabab or not? Just wait for few months and we might see the Raaskamboni militia getting similar beatings from their Kenyan masters. Somalis never learn. They actually believe someone else would liberate their country. You would think Ethiopia would would have served as an example;

^Name calling doesn't help.

^Noted:)

But if someone show you, they are kind and have no bad habits, should I not believe them? It almost seems like one is always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

^So what's love, now that you are experiencing it.

Bluelicious;892864 wrote: When people show you who they really are believe them. How people showing who they really are is usually a negative thing. It almost seems the real you is bad you only!

lol@oba adna markii bari loo heeso galbeed ujihaadaa.

oba hiloowlow;892841 wrote: Dayuum did u just call Blue a fatty? You saying wyre is chubby chaser?