|
|
The
Ministerial Council of the Sana’a Forum meets in Sana’a
An extraordinary meeting of
the Ministerial Council of the Sana’a Forum for Cooperation (SFC)
was held in Sana’a on August 1st. under the chairmanship
of Dr. Abubakar Al-Qirbi, foreign minister of the Republic of Yemen.
Present were the Foreign Ministers of the Forum members:
Djibouti
(Mr. Mahmmud Ali Yusuf), Ethiopia (Mr. Seyoum Mesfin), Somalia (Mr.
Yusuf Hassan Ibrahim), and the State Minister for Foreign Affairs of
Sudan (Mr. Kamaladin Hassan Ali). The meeting was held in the
context of strengthening ties and improving coordination to address
the current challenges facing member states. The Ministers paid a
courtesy call on President Ali Abdullah Saleh to brief him on the
current status of the SFC. The President underlined the importance
of the Forum and of the need for member states to reinforce and
expand links among Forum member states.
The agenda of the meeting
included strengthening the SFC secretariat, and reactivating
economic, trade and investment co-operation among member states as
well as speeding up the harmonization process of policies. The
Ministers were briefed on the political situation as well as the
status of peace and security in the SFC and discussed developments
at regional level, including the situation in Somalia and in other
member states, as well as the Forum’s role in ensuring security and
stability and responding to extremism and terrorism in the region.
In a communiqué, the
Ministers affirmed their solidarity with Somalia and the TFG’s fight
against terrorism, calling on all concerned parties to work within
the framework of the Djibouti Agreement. They also called on the
international community to shoulder its responsibilities towards
Somalia and to support efforts to build up the Transitional Federal
Institutions and the security forces and the army. They welcomed the
recent resolutions of IGAD and of the AU and called for these to be
implemented urgently.
The Ministers congratulated
Sudan on the results of its recent elections and the efforts to
implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. They called on all
concerned parties to work together to resolve problems through
dialogue. They reiterated their rejection of the resolutions of the
International Criminal Court, calling these a violation of Sudan’s
sovereignty and threat to peace. The Ministerial Council praised the
Federal and Regional elections in Ethiopia as a demonstration of the
will of the people of Ethiopia. It appreciated the efforts of
Ethiopia to contribute to peace in Sudan and Somalia, and stressed
the importance of resolving the border dispute between Ethiopia and
Eritrea through dialogue. The Council welcomed last month’s
agreement between the Government of Ethiopia and the United Western
Somalia Liberation Front.
The Ministers welcomed the
commitment of Djibouti to solve its border dispute with Eritrea
through peaceful means. They called on the Djibouti Government to
continue to assist in bringing peace in Somalia within the framework
of the Djibouti Agreement, and in accordance with the resolutions of
IGAD, the AU, the UN and the Arab League.
The Ministerial Council
reaffirmed the adherence of Forum members to the unity, security and
stability of Yemen. It condemned all acts of terrorism and sabotage
carried out by extremists or radical elements under whatever name
and for whatever excuse. It praised the repeated calls of President
Saleh for peaceful dialogue as the only way to resolve the
challenges facing Yemen. The Foreign Ministers expressed their hope
that all parties would continue to demonstrate commitment to adhere
to the Dialogue Agreement.
The Ministerial Council
defined the commitment of the Foreign Ministers towards the
revitalization of the Forum. It urged all relevant ministries and
institutions in Forum member states to implement the resolutions of
the 2008 summit covering economic, social, cultural, and security
issues. It discussed the Charter for the Assembly of the Forum, and
agreed to provide the Forum Secretariat with the necessary budget to
enable it to function properly, and arrangements for the forthcoming
Forum Summit at the end of the year or early in 2011.
******************
top |
|
A National Conference for Democratic
Change in Eritrea
Hundreds of representatives
of Eritrean opposition parties and civic associations this week are
holding a conference in Addis Ababa: the National Conference for
Democratic Change in Eritrea. It is aimed at charting a new course
for the liberation of the peoples of Eritrea from the oppressive
regime of President Isaias Afeworki. Organizers of the conference
are hopeful that the weeklong deliberations will help narrow down
the differences among various opposition parties and create an
opportunity to bring more participants on board in the struggle for
democracy in Eritrea.
It is indeed fitting that
Eritrean opposition groups and civic associations should bring
themselves together to harmonize their efforts in their campaign
against tyranny. The composition of the participants clearly shows
that the organizing committee has gone a long way to bring together
a substantial diversity of views from among the broad political
spectrum of Eritrea’s pro-democracy movement. It is hoped that those
who felt unable to participate in this conference may now be
encouraged to joint the process, and further enhance cooperation and
mutual trust among Eritrean groups and civil society organizations.
The organizers of the conference have already indicated they will
extend their invitations for more groups to join in similar
deliberations in the future. This conference has highlighted once
again that the solution to Eritrea’s problems can only be sought
within Eritrean circles. It has further underlined the need for
transcending petty squabbles among the different groups in the
interest of addressing the much more pressing problems that
Eritreans face daily.
It is clear that this
conference is indeed a wholly Eritrean affair. Only Eritreans can
find the solutions for their own problems. The Ethiopian government
has always reiterated that anything it might provide in support of
the success of this conference, or other similar efforts, would be
on the basis of whether or not this would be in the best interest of
the peoples of
Eritrea, and not of
any particular group or other. At the end of the day, what Ethiopia
would like to see is for two neighborly peoples with long and deep
fraternal relations to live in harmony and peace under conditions of
mutual respect and partnership. Those who may still be under the
illusion that Ethiopia might have any other objective that goes
beyond supporting the cause of the peoples of Eritrea couldn’t be
more wrong. Ethiopia would still have continued to enjoy the
excellent neighborly relations with the people of Eritrea after 1993
if it had not been for the belligerent moves of the regime in
Asmara. The government of Ethiopia, and the EPRDF, was easily the
most reliable friend in support of the peace and stability of
Eritrea. There is no reason whatsoever to doubt that this continues
to be the case today despite the current problems between the two
countries.
The government of Ethiopia
believes that the people of Eritrea know very well who their number
one enemy is. It also firmly believes that changing or removing the
regime in Asmara is a wholly Eritrean affair. To the extent that the
government of Ethiopia looks forward to any result from this
conference, it is the hope that this will help bring about a
peaceful, democratic and independent Eritrea that is willing to live
by the ordinary international rules that govern normal
state-to-state relations. The Government of Ethiopia does not have
any interest or design except to support the democratic aspirations
of the people of Eritrea. As Foreign Minister Seyoum has reiterated,
Ethiopia has no other agenda of its own than a sincere desire to see
a normally behaving neighbor on the other side of the Mereb with
which it can have a mutually advantageous partnership in all areas.
*****************
top |
|
Maintaining
TFG's Cohesion and support is an absolute necessity
The recent
activities and decisions by the African Union Summit in
Kampala, and by IGAD, both
at the Summit and at its Executive Council meeting at the beginning
of July, have shown the commitment of the continent and the region
to assist the endeavors of the government of Somalia to bring peace
and reconciliation to the country. These efforts were reinforced by
a US organized meeting on Somalia in Kampala, attended by the
leaders of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda,
the UN and the AU Commission, and by representatives of the partner
countries.
All the decisions taken by
the AU, IGAD and others now need to be consolidated and reflected in
a concrete way on the ground. As Prime Minister Meles clearly
indicated during the meeting, organized by the US Assistant
Secretary of State for
Africa, Johnnie Carson,
unless the TFG is assisted in a concrete and coordinated way, there
can be no sustainable solution for Somalia. Donors have given
millions of dollars to Somalia but much has gone through numerous
NGOs and international organizations whose administrative and other
costs consume up to 70% of the total amount provided. These
beneficiaries of the Somalia crises should not be allowed to
continue to use Somalia as an income generation scheme. The
international community should assist Somalia directly with
effective mechanisms put in place to provide for full
accountability. Certainly, there is a need to design a mechanism for
the government to account for every penny received from the
international community. This would avoid the inefficiency of
international agencies and NGOs and the improper consumption of
funds intended for Somalia. There is certainly a need to provide
support to the TFG itself.
IGAD’s decisions at the
Summit level on how
to assist the TFG have now been worked out in detail thorough the
IGAD Chiefs of Defense Staffs who met in Addis Ababa just prior to
the Kampala Summit. These plans will be implemented as soon as the
AU and the international community can produce the necessary funds
and logistics that are required for the deployment of another 2,000
troops, most probably from Uganda and other countries, to reinforce
AMISOM.
One of the most crucial
issues that the TFG leadership must now deal with is to throw off
its lethargy, and get to work to start carrying out the provision of
services to the people of
Somalia in the areas they
can reach. They must put an end to their disputes, quarrels and
petty squabbles. The infighting has to stop, and the TFG needs to
focus on defeating the real enemy, Al-Shabaab, by all means
available to it, on gaining the assistance of the international
community and on appealing to the people of Somalia to isolate Al-Shabaab.
The TFG leadership now needs to be very determined to put its house
in order. Time is running out, as even the TFG itself must realize.
The TFG’s proper handling of itself is a necessary requirement for
the support that comes from those who remain concerned and prepared
to assist the people of Somalia to escape from the quagmire in which
they find themselves today. The TFG needs to take these measures
without delay if it is to get support from the international
community. Cohesion among the leadership of the TFG is a critical
and an absolute necessity; and its absence will put the existence of
the country in jeopardy.
*****************
top |
|
A
changed situation in Somaliland needs continuity
On
Tuesday last week, President Ahmed Mohamed ‘Silanyo’ was inaugurated
as Somaliland’s
fourth president, following his victory over President Dahir Riyale
in the smooth and successful presidential election a month earlier.
The transfer of power took place in an orderly and peaceful manner.
The outgoing President welcomed his successor in a sincere and
principled speech, congratulating the incoming President and handing
over power in an exemplary manner. The new incumbent was equally
gracious. The whole procedure demonstrated a high level of maturity
that has had few antecedents in Africa. Several foreign delegations
attended the ceremony, from Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya. Djibouti’s
delegation was headed by the Minister of Information and
Communications, Mr. Ali Abdi, who said Somaliland’s democracy
provided an excellent example, well worth emulating. Ethiopia’s
Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mr. Mohammed Dirir, who headed a
delegation which included representatives from Ethiopia’s Somali
Regional State, commended the peaceful transfer of power which he
said would help peace in the Horn of Africa. The deputy speaker of
the Kenyan Parliament, Mr. Farah Maalim, described the occasion as
an historic opportunity that should be celebrated. Also visiting
Hargeisa last month, were the French Ambassador to Djibouti and the
Deputy Head of the UK’s Mission in Ethiopia.
The day following the
inauguration, President Ahmed ‘Silanyo’ announced his new cabinet of
20 ministers and six vice-ministers. The new foreign minister, Dr.
Muhammad Abdillahi Omar, has already stressed the need to sustain
Somaliland’s
democratic achievements and its locally owned peace and stability.
This will need, he said, increased international support and
investment in the areas of security, the economy and the public
service sector.
Much is expected of the new
government to ensure continuity both in terms of
Somaliland’s domestic as
well as its foreign policies and in providing a high standard of
implementation and conduct. The challenges facing Somaliland and the
region as a whole are tremendous. To meet this expectation the new
government needs to command the respect and confidence of the
neighboring countries through its readiness and its commitment to
address these challenges. People are already following the
activities of the new government with care, hoping that decisions
will be taken in consideration of the problems that Somaliland and
the region as a whole face. The new government will have to
demonstrate its capacity in its conduct of domestic as well as
foreign policies, to meet the expectations of all those who are
partners in its efforts. It is critical in this connection that the
government upholds the principles of good neighborliness, commitment
to peace and moderation. Equally, Somaliland’s neighbors confidently
expect it to continue to take the same uncompromising stand in the
fight against terrorism and extremism as the previous governments.
Any diminution in this area will seriously affect its credibility.
*****************
top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
