Somalia, 2000

It is a singular honour

and privilege for me to be here today to address this

session of the General Assembly. On this auspicious

occasion, I would like to take this opportunity to

congratulate you, Mr. President, on your unanimous

election to this eminent position. Taking into account

your Excellency's wide experience in international

affairs, I am confident that you will successfully

contribute to the work and deliberations before this

Assembly.

Permit me also, Mr. President, to pay special

tribute to your predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Theo-

Ben Gurirab, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the

Republic of Namibia, who conducted the affairs of the

Assembly in a most successful manner during his term

of office.

Our profound gratitude also goes to our able and

dynamic Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Kofi

Annan, who has shown exemplary leadership and

demonstrated efficiency in managing the activities of

our Organization. Indeed, he has played a pivotal role

in the enhancement of the Organization's aims and

objectives, and in furthering peace, stability and

international cooperation the world over.

I am highly honoured to address this Assembly

today in the presence of my colleague and brother, His

Excellency Mr. Ismail Omar Guelleh, President of the

Republic of Djibouti. In this regard, I would like to pay

special tribute for the exceptional role played by His

Excellency, his Government and the people of Djibouti

in our recently concluded national reconciliation

conference, held in Arta, a resort town near Djibouti.

In contrast to the previous 12 Somali

reconciliation conferences, held in the past 10 years in

various capitals, the Arta reconciliation conference was

unique and more focused. While the previous

reconciliation conferences were based on attempts to

reconcile the personal differences and rivalries between

power-seeking faction leaders, the Arta conference, on

the other hand, concentrated essentially on the

constructive engagement and the interaction of the

various components of Somali society, such as

traditional clan elders and sultans, religious leaders,

intellectuals, politicians and representatives of the

various sectors of Somali civil society. More than

2,000 delegates from inside and outside the country

attended the conference, the deliberations of which

continued for more than five months.

It was in the context of this transparent process

that a consensus was reached on the agenda and criteria

for participation in the conference, based on the

balanced and equitable representation of the various

clans in the country. In pursuance of this innovative

approach, the conference conducted its business. This

led to the general agreement on the adoption of a

Transitional Charter. The Charter, inter alia, provided

for the establishment of the basic constitutional organs

of the Third Republic of the Somali State: the National

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Assembly, the President, the Council of Ministers and

an independent judiciary. In accordance with these

transitional measures, the first organ the conference

established was the National Assembly. In turn, the

National Assembly elected the President in a fair and

free manner in the presence of observers and

representatives of the international community.

The outcome of the Arta reconciliation

conference received an overwhelming endorsement of

the Somali people within the country and in the

diaspora. Strong messages of support and pledges

poured into Arta from all regions of the country and

from Somali communities abroad.

In contrast to anarchy and civil war, which

prevailed in Somalia for the past 10 years, the creation

of the National Assembly and the election of a

President ushered in a new era for peace and stability

and constituted the first step of restoring order and

central authority to the country. This was indeed

translated into reality during my recent visit to

Mogadishu and Baidoa. The spontaneous reaction of

the hundreds of thousands of people who welcomed us

in both cities demonstrated vividly that they wanted to

leave years of civil war behind and open a new era of

peace, tranquillity, good governance, restoration of the

rule of law and national unity.

In this connection, let me emphasize the fact that

the majority of the Somali people in the regions that we

were not able to visit, including the regions in the

northwest and northeast of the country, uphold a shared

commitment and optimism for the unity and future

progress of the country.

With regard to the warlords and individuals who

still remain outside the reconciliation process, we

express our full preparedness to engage with them in

peaceful dialogue, and we call upon them to review

their positions, hear the voice of reason, and respect the

legitimate aspirations of the Somali people to achieve

national unity, social and economic development and

durable peace throughout the country.

The challenges that the Somali Republic faces

today are monumental. My Government is prepared to

meet those challenges with a realistic approach. We

understand that our country stands today in the midst

of a crisis of serious proportions. We shall exercise

care, compassion and objectivity to manage that crisis

and overcome it in the end.

There has been large-scale destruction of the

physical infrastructure and resources in both urban and

rural areas. Generations of children have not gone to

school for almost two decades. A good number of high-

level managerial staff and skilled technicians have left

the country. The role of the international community in

assisting us in peace-building, rehabilitation and

reconstruction is therefore of pivotal importance for us.

There should be no relaxation by the international

community in the overall effort to provide

humanitarian and developmental assistance to the

Somali Republic.

We will engage Somali professionals and

technical experts inside and outside the country to be

actively involved in all reconstruction programmes and

projects. We will also give indigenous and international

non-governmental organizations and relevant United

Nations agencies all the necessary assistance to be able

to contribute effectively to the rehabilitation and

reconstruction of the country.

I would like to emphasize that my Government

will place particular emphasis in the immediate future

on the following priority areas: first, restoration of

peace, stability and national unity, and the formation of

an effective security force to consolidate them;

secondly, disarmament of the militias and their

encampment, subsequent rehabilitation and training in

all the regions of the country; and, thirdly, maintenance

of law and order through the creation of effective law

enforcement agencies and professional courts of law.

Within the framework of that policy, my Government

will promote and consolidate peace, security and unity

in the country at large.

At the international level, we reaffirm our

unqualified support for the principles and objectives of

the United Nations and pledge to cooperate with

relevant regional and subregional organizations,

namely, the Organization of African Unity, the League

of Arab States, the Organization of the Islamic

Conference and the Inter-Governmental Authority on

Development. We shall also maintain and strengthen

our relations with the European Union. We would like

to open up new vistas of cooperation and economic ties

with other organizations, such as the Gulf Cooperation

Council and the Association of South-East Asian

Nations.

My Government will promote strong links of

cooperation with the countries of the Horn of Africa

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and the Red Sea based on the principles of mutual

respect, sovereign equality of States and non-

interference in the internal affairs of other States, as

provided in the Charter of the United Nations. We will

promote economic partnership, open borders and

common port services among the countries of the Horn

of Africa.

In conclusion, my delegation requests the

Assembly to facilitate the adoption of a resolution

under the title “Assistance to the Somali Republic”

relating to the following areas of need: first, urgent

assistance from Member States for the rehabilitation

and reconstruction of Somalia; secondly, resumption of

sustained economic cooperation with the international

community in general and with Member States of the

United Nations in particular; and, thirdly, a call on

relevant United Nations agencies and organizations to

redouble their efforts in providing financial and

material assistance to the people of Somalia.

Finally, I extend my profound appreciation to the

United Nations for the commendable role it has played

in the efforts to alleviate the plight of the Somali

people during the last 10 years. We also wish to

express our appreciation for the efforts of the world

body in its continued search for a solution to our

political crisis throughout the decade, and for its

continued humanitarian support and assistance to the

Somali people. I am confident that the United Nations

will continue to provide support for the realization of

the aspirations of the Somali people to stability, peace

and development.