SOMALIA: Interview with parliamentary speaker

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

NAIROBI, 31 Jan 2006 (IRIN) - At a meeting on 5 January in Aden, Yemen, Somalia's parliamentary speaker Sharif Hassan Shaykh Aden and interim president Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed agreed to set aside their differences that had divided the country's fledgling administration. Their agreement has paved way for Somalia’s first parliamentary session in 15 years, scheduled for 26 February in Baidoa. Below are excerpts from an interview with the speaker:

QUESTION: It has been more than six months since the TFIs [transitional federal institutions] relocated to Somalia. What progress has been made in the reconciliation process?

ANSWER: We have made some achievements. We have removed some illegal roadblocks in Mogadishu, but divisions within the government have hampered our efforts. Today, those divisions are almost at an end.

Q: Now that you and President Yusuf have agreed to set aside your differences, what is the next step? Are you in agreement on the issues that have divided you, such as the deployment of peacekeepers?

A: The next step after Aden is to open parliament and for parliament to fulfil its mandate. It is for the parliament to make the decisions. On the peacekeeping force, parliament has already voted in favour of peacekeepers, but against those from the frontline states. It is now up to the government to bring a detailed bill to the parliament that makes clear where those forces are coming from, the numbers involved and how long they will stay. Once that is done I am confident parliament will pass the bill.

Q: You have been in Mogadishu, along with more than 100 members of parliament, for more than six months. Has anything been achieved by your presence?

A: I would have to say yes. Of course we did not achieve the main aim of our stay there, which was to stabilise the situation and set up a functioning administration. The most amazing thing we saw in Mogadishu was the desire and the thirst of the people for a government. They really showed us how much they want a real government. That gives me hope that we have something to build on.

Q: How would you describe Mogadishu as a working environment? Is it more or less safe than when you first arrived?

A: It is not worse than it was before. I believe it is better in some ways. Of course there are problems when you have no government authority working there and no law or order. Those are major problems, and I believe that those can be overcome if the government goes to Mogadishu and operates from there.

Q: What would you like to see achieved in the next three months?

A: I would like for parliament to meet and do its work and start dealing with the issues that affect the people. I want us to discuss the issue of security, particularly that of Mogadishu. I would like to see security established and Mogadishu stabilised, the government and parliament operating from there in three months.

Q: Do you think that ongoing differences within the administration have undermined the credibility of the TFIs?

A: Yes, but I believe once parliament meets we will resolve all our differences inside the institutions. I am confident that once we resolve our differences and get on with our work and are seen to be doing so, we can regain our credibility, both with the Somali people and the international community.

Q: A serious drought has taken hold in Somalia, especially in the south. What is being done about it? Do you think infighting has hurt the ability of the government to deal with it?

A: The differences and the divisions of the top leadership have definitely affected our ability to help our people in this time of need. It has taken away the time and focus we should have been giving to the drought. Nevertheless, the president and I have made an appeal to the international community to assist the affected populations, and so have other leaders.

We have also appealed to our people to stop the violence that has prevented aid agencies from assisting needy people in some parts of the country. Whatever our differences, we should solve them through dialogue and peaceful means. I call on all Somalis to refrain from solving their differences through violence.

Q: How optimistic are you that differences within the TFIs will be resolved once and for all?

A: I am confident that now every one of us sees that these continuous squabbles and divisions do not serve the national interest or even individual ones. So I am fairly optimistic that once we hold the parliamentary session, the majority view will prevail and we will all abide by it. We will then turn to the work at hand, and the divisions will end.

Q: How would you describe your current relationship with President Yusuf?

A: There were never personal differences with the president. Our disagreements had to do with recalling the parliament and the functioning of it. We have agreed on that now. Our relationship is fine. We all agree that we are a parliamentary government. We are a government of reconciliation, and we need to put more emphasis on reconciliation. We need to win back each other’s confidence but also the confidence of our people.

Q: Why should the Somali people believe that things would be different now?

A: First of all, our differences were caused by a disagreement over timing. If we had had that session at the time we set, I think we would have debated the issues and the majority would have prevailed. It did not, unfortunately, happen that way. Now we have resolved those disagreements, and we will wait for the parliament to vote on the government agenda. I am confident that when the Somali people see us working together they will see that we are serious.

[ENDS]