Northern Somalis for Peace Unity - Press Release

[ANWAR]

THE US sponsored SOMALIA CONTACT GROUP MEETING New York - June 15, 2006

 

The Empowerment of Somalia’s national Transitional Federal Government (TFG)

is the Key to restoring Law and Order and building national democratic institutions.

 

For Immediate Release

 

June 14, 2006

 

Northern Somalis for Peace & Unity (NSPU) wishes to extend gratitude to the government of the United States of America for convening this crucial and timely Contact Group Meeting on Somalia. As series of events are unfolding in Somalia and the Islamic Courts are gaining grounds in the country, we urge the meeting participants to stay focused on how better the international community can help rebuilding the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFI): a by-product of two years of arduous national reconciliation conference, sponsored jointly by the UN, AU, IGAD, EU, the US, and most importantly the neighbouring countries.

 

All the clans of the Somali Republic are represented in the TFI, which is governed by an Interim Constitutional Charter, which resulted in the election of a President, the appointment of a Prime Minister and a Cabinet who are accountable to a 275 members Parliamentary Chamber with representation from all regions/clans.

 

There are calls coming from the regional states in Somalia, such as Puntland and Somaliland, who are eager to participate in this meeting. The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) unequivocally and repeatedly stated in the past that their priority is to restore law and order to unstable parts of the country. Once this goal is achieved the TFG promised to enter into peaceful negotiation with existing local regional administrations. Therefore, it will be counter-productive and a recipe for confusion if these local regional administrations are invited to participate in this meeting.

 

As recently stated by a senior EU official “…. the whole situation is so complex, there is great deal of reluctance to add another element (such as secession) to the mix.â€

 

Unlike the TFG, these regional administrations are basically the creation of Northwestern and Northeastern clan groups and, therefore, extending invitation to them as Participants or Observers will alienate other clans.

 

The meeting should NOT be deflected from its central focus, namely “how to co-ordinate efforts to help build governance institutions within Somalia that will transform the nascent TFG to an effective central government, functioning throughout the countryâ€.

 

The Transitional Federal Government is at present the only available viable instrument that has the legitimacy, the structure, and the national mandate to restore normalcy and security throughout the country. All the other groups, including the Islamic Court Union, should be encouraged to co-operate with the TFG and prepare to compete for power through participation in national elections, which are scheduled to take place after the end of the 5 years term of the TFG.