Prime Minister of Somalia’s statement at the UN Security Council Meeting on Somalia

Prime Minister of Somalia’s statement at the UN Security Council Meeting on Somalia

Mr. President, Distinguished Ambassadors, It gives me a great pleasure to appear before the Security Council today for a third time since I took office November last year. During my last two appearances, I have reported to you the achievements made by the Transitional Federal Institutions, the challenges we face and the way forward. I am delighted to continue that trend and once more provide you the latest updates and the challenges we face at this critical time.

I am also, however, here to listen to the constructive views of the UN Security Council members on how we can make progress beyond the Transition phase endinging August this year. As I previously mentioned in January and in March, my government’s five main priorities have been improving security, enhancing reconciliation,completing the transitional tasks (including the completion of our constitutional process), addressing humanitarian crisis, and promoting good governance.

Mr. President, Let me begin by offering my heartfelt gratitude and sincere appreciation once again for the ongoing support of the United Nations, the African Union(AU) and the International community to Somalia. In particular, we are exceptionally grateful to the young men and women from Uganda andBurundi who make up the African Union troops and who offer the ultimatesacrifice for the safety and security of the Somali people. We salute and mourn those soldiers who died in Somalia. We offer our condolences to their friends, families and assure them that their loss will not be in vain.

Our nation will be eternally grateful. Mr President, I am fully aware, that his Excellency, the Secretary General of the UN has recently reported to you on the key developments in Somalia; however, letme share with you our recent developments towards security.

Mygovernment continues to put the highest priority on security and as a result our troops and AMISOM forces are currently making tangible progress in reclaiming significant territory from extremist groups in Mogadishu. Our troops are currently making visible progress in regions near the borders of

Kenya and Ethiopia. They are gradually recapturing key districts and towns in Gedo and Jubba regions. In addition, The military offensive in the capital city has been very successful. The centerpiece was the taking of the formerMinistry of Defense from the extremists, a strategic objective and one which will prove a pivotal moment in this campaign. Ground is now being taken at an increasing rate, especially around Bondere and immediately south ofBakara Market in Howlwadag. Together, the TFG and AMISOM forcescontinue to push the extremists further back each and every week. Such an offensive must be properly sustained and logistically supported and we implore the international community to step up their efforts in this area, so that the gains can be consolidated and sustained. We hope that the efforts of AMISOM forces in Somalia will show the world that African countries can solve their problems regionally.

We are immensely grateful for the leadership of the governments of Uganda and Burundi and we hope that other African leaders will also contribute to the cause of bringing peace and stability to Somalia.

Mr. President, Let me update you on the political developments in Somalia and once more state in no uncertain terms that my Government is your committed andcredible partner in our efforts to stabilize Somalia. As you are all aware, the Transitional Federal Parliament (TFP) has unilaterally decided to extend itsterm for 3 years. The Transitional Federal Government believes the Parliament rushed to its decision without proper consultation among the other TFIs, particularly when considered that the transitional period for the TFIs shall end by August 2011. The International community has also rejected the Parliament’s decision and raised both the legitimacy and the political wisdom of the legislature’s approach. From TFG’s perspective, aquestion of more practical importance is raised by the juridical relationships that bind the Transitional Federal Institutions to both Transitional Federal Charter and the 1960 Constitution. This has already occasioned differencesof opinion between the Legislature and Executive branch of the government. It is the opinion of my government (the Executive branch) that under the SIMUL STABUNT VEL SIMUL CADENT principle, the Transitional FederalInstitutions shall cease to exist as of August 2011. In other words, both institutions are indissolubly connected from constitutional prospective. We would have wished to avoid the current political crisis within the Transitional Federal Institutions. True, my government (the Executive branch) considers unconstitutional the behavior of the legislature forextending its mandate for additional three years.

The Legislature’s action is inconsistent and in contravention with the Transitional Federal Charter and the 1960 Constitution. Both state “The term of the Transitional Federal Parliament shall not be extended and any amendment with regards to the term shall not have effect with the tenure of the current legislature”. Therefore, from the constitutional and legal perspectives, my governmentbelieves the current Parliament does not have the constitutional mandate to elect new President of the Republic. A post-August legally elected legislature will be the legitimate Parliament to elect a President. We believe it is the responsibility of the executive branch of the government(TFG) to coordinate efforts of achieving an inclusive pre and post transitional arrangements, which we were in the process of concluding. The President of Somalia, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has asked the Parliament toreconsider its decision. The Speaker has so far rejected the President’s proposition for decision with regard to the extension of Parliament tenure.

Mr President, The most disturbing consequence of this situation is the descent into political instability at precisely the time when the security situation is on the verge of a breakthrough and governance is taking effective strides forward. I and my government believe that, with such visible progress on the ground, this isthe worst possible time to be distracted by untenable election processes and the divisive campaigning that will inevitably take place. The TFG also believes that the diversion of focus from governance and security to electioncampaigning will offer Al-Shabaab an opportunity it will take full advantage of.

We cannot offer these extremists such an open goal. It is our people, especially our youth, who will suffer most. Considered the state of war envisioned in article 68 of 1960 Somali Constitution, the TFG has discussed the issue at great length with all stakeholders, and therefore, we have proposed to the Parliament and to our international partners to consider extending the mandate of the TransitionalFederal Institutions for additional 12 months. The nation is at war with internal and external extremist forces and with a debilitating issue of piracy.The state of war envisioned in article 68 clearly provides extraordinary legal mandate for the Legislature and for the Executive branch to manage collectively the war efforts with exceptional powers, and therefore to allowthe current progress to take hold and develop. We believe that a further 12 months of political stability and security progress will create a chance for real and fair elections in which potentially the public can take part. This is our ambition and must surely be yours too. We believe this is in the wider interests of the Somali people.

The question is how the TFI could secure legitimacy without undermining current progress with regard to security, stability and war efforts. We believe that the UNSecurity Council has role to play by upholding international legality. The Somali people and the international community could not accept an Act by the Parliament that is clearly in violation of the (Somali) Constitution, which is a unilateral extension of its tenure. Mr President, In order to move forward I have appointed a ministerial committee, chaired by myself and requested the Parliament meet with us in order to settle our differences amicably and find an acceptable and mutually agreed consensus on the way forward. We are still hopeful that the parliament will agree to a consultative meeting between the two institutions. As TFG has always believed the best way to solve our issues is to hold dialogue among Somalis,and we ask for your support in giving us the space and time to find our own political settlement. As you are all aware, the TFG did not participate in the consultative meeting, organized by the Special Representative for the UN Secretary General to Somalia Dr. Augustine Mahiga, in Nairobi last month.

The TFG greatly values the role of the SRSG, the UN and our key international partners. However,we believe that consultative meetings should be held inside Somalia and thatSomalis should take the lead. We simply wished our voice to be heard. The TFG has long intended to hold a consultative meeting among all our stakeholders in Mogadishu and we have set the dates for this to take place from 11 – 16 June 2011. I am very pleased to report to you that DrAugustine Mahiga has welcomed this meeting and has agreed the UN to sponsor it.

I have assigned a ministerial level committee to organize thismeeting in consultation with the SRSG and all key stakeholders. We are very grateful Dr Augustine Mahiga’s commitment and the excellent work to bring peace and stability in Somalia. Mr President, I would also like to report to your Excellencies, that support from the Somali people is growing and they are fully behind these security successes. We are very grateful for this, as it is the first time in decades for a Somali government to receive such support from the people and this has come due to my government’s steady efforts towards the delivery of services and good governance. We also know that civil society groups are beginning to mobilizeand gaining the confidence to make their voices heard.

I offer you three tangible examples of improving service delivery from the past two months. My government has, with donor support, and assistancefrom AMISOM, opened a new hospital: Martini Hospital has a total capacity of around 500 beds, and is already starting to treat and care for injured TFG soldiers and civilians with a range of illnesses and injuries. My government has taken over the running of a school attached to the newlyestablished Jaziira military training camp on the outskirts of Mogadishu.Again, with AMISOM’s assistance, this school had been established for local children and those of soldiers in training. My government has also established two other schools in Mogadishu to carefor orphans and those whose parents are too poor to care for themselves.We have around 400 children receiving food, shelter and elementary education. The most exciting symbol of change, however, is the emergence of private property renovation and property investment. It may now just be confined to the road between K4 and the airport, but a new five floor hotel is beingbuilt, houses are being repaired, windows restored and roadworksundertaken. This is the surest sign of public confidence, as no private individual will spend their money if they think their efforts will return to rubble. In addition, as I previously reported to the council, my government continues to provide service delivery to its people, such as street cleaning, repairing roads, street lighting, improving justice system, promoting humanrights, and giving sense of hope to our citizens. We have recently relaunchedour first National TV and National Newspaper called Dalka. Mr President, As I previously mentioned we are in the first line of defense against twoevils, the scourge of piracy and the plague of terrorism. We feel that the pressure and the war against terrorism must be intensified until we eliminateall extremists on our soil. In light of the killing of Osama Bin Laden, my government has declared a state of high alert, due to credible informationthat Al-Qaeda and Al-Shabaab are planning revenge attacks, which could endanger or kill innocent people. On 7 May 2011 Al-Shabaab Spokespersonconfirmed planning revenge attacks and stated that they will intensify their terrorism activities. We need to defeat these aggressors at their source andthis needs strong political will, cooperation and collaboration from us and resilient commitment and support from the international community.

We have to understand that the root cause and breeding ground of bothterrorism and piracy is lawlessness coupled with poverty and unemployment. As I previously reported to your Excellencies, the scourge of piracy cannotbe defeated in the high seas. Its solution lies with bringing back the rule of law on land in Somalia. We are very grateful for the work carried out by Jack Lang, the UN Secretary General’s Special Adviser on legal issues related to piracy, which has highlighted the urgent need to establish effective judicial capacity for piracy trials.

My government believes these courts should be in Somalia. My government strongly welcomes this and believes if the country has strong national government with effective coast guards within a secureEEZ we can help to reduce or even stop piracy. The Transitional FederalGovernment is grateful for the operations of the EUNAVFOR and many otherinternational navies in our seas. My Government has started working with the UN agencies in regards to the stabilization and reconstruction of new areas coming under the control of the TFG both in Mogadishu and in the regions.

This is very important and needs urgent support and attention from the international community. Another area in which we desperately need assistance is DDR. We havewitnessed a high level of young people defecting from Al-Shabaab. We do not have resources to provide the array of facilities, training and care to helpthem recover, resettle and rehabilitate their lives. The stories that we aregetting from these young people are shocking and it requires not only commitment but leadership from the International Community so that we can win the war on terror not only by force, but by educating our young people and providing them the hope that they have been waiting for a very long time. Mr. President, In conclusion, we are gradually but effectively winning the support of the Somali population. My government is determined to help our people and Ican assure you of our commitment to them and to you. The interest of our nation and our people must come first. We know that we, the Government, must work tirelessly to meet the expectations made of us and lead by example in a transparent and effective governance manner. Defeatingextremists from Somalia requires the same level of commitment to that of Afghanistan and Iraq. We will do everything it takes to regain our status as a functioning state that protects its citizens, ends all forms of international piracy and extremism, promotes good governance, and produces a nation at peace with itself, and its neighbors.

I would like to conclude with Secretary General’s comments in his recent report on Somalia: “The international community must keep its end of the bargain,” he states. “The Transitional Federal Government urgently needs assistance for Mogadishu’s stabilization, recovery and reconstruction. If we reinforce the military gains, provide humanitarian relief and achieve political progress, we can set Somalia on course to greater stability and peace. If we fail, we risk a growing humanitarian crisis, a deteriorating security situation and a worsening threat to regional peace and stability.”

Thank you.