IRIN Webspecial: A Decent Burial

Interview: President Abdiqassim Salad Hassan

When President Abdiqassim Salad Hassan was elected in August 2000 as a result of the Djibouti-hosted Somali peace talks in Arta, critics pointed to the fact he was a former minister of interior at a time the Siyad Barre regime was known to be committing atrocities. In an interview after his inauguration, IRIN asked him about his relationship with the former regime.

QUESTION: You had a high profile in Muhammad Siyad Barre's government. What was your relationship with him like?

ANSWER: I was a member of Siyad Barre's government. Let me state there are, right now in Somalia, three generations [of politicians]. The first generation [who served during] independence are largely dead or of a very old age. The second generation is my generation, and practically everyone of my generation had a role in twenty years of government. That was not Siyad's government, it was the nation's government. Siyad was the president, the man who was leading Somalia for 20 years.

Everyone who was in Somalia - intellectual or otherwise - served in one or other capacity in that administration. Not necessarily as a minister, but in any other capacity. So that generation is the generation who can run the government now. And because of that they have been chosen to be members of parliament; they have been chosen to be leaders of parliament; and I have been chosen to be president.

The third generation is the generation of the 10 years [of civil war], who are not in a position to lead. So, Muhammad Siyad Barre's era is in the history of Somalia. I was part of that history - I was a minister and involved in that. But one has to distinguish between those who committed crimes and those who were against the crimes that were committed.

If the people of Somalia, through their representatives, knew that I was a criminal, or misbehaved or misappropriated funds, they would not have chosen me as president. So I am confident it is not a black spot, either for me or anybody else who served when Muhammad Siyad Barre was there. But if there were some who committed crimes, they have to face justice.

Q: How?

A: I am the president of Somalia. There is a law, there is a charter. The law of the charter will apply to everybody who committed a crime under Siyad Barre or after.

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? 2001, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. All rights reserved.