Somalia, 2001

I seize this opportunity to

extend, on behalf of my Government, my warm

congratulations to Mr. Han Seung-soo on his election

as President of the General Assembly at its fifty-sixth

session. I am confident that, with his experience and

profound dedication, he will successfully guide the

proceedings of this session. I also avail myself of this

opportunity to thank his predecessor, His Excellency

Mr. Harri Holkeri, for his excellent stewardship of the

fifty-fifth session of the General Assembly. May I also

extend our warmest congratulations to the Secretary-

General, His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan, on his

election to a second term and on the award of the

Nobel Peace Prize to him and to the United Nations.

Last year, at the Millennium Summit held here in

New York, the President of Somalia, His Excellency

Mr. Abdikassim Salad Hassan, stood before the

Assembly after Somalia’s absence from the

international arena for about a decade. That was a

moment of historic significance for my country, which

continues to strive to emerge from the abyss of conflict

and to reassert its position as an active Member of the

United Nations. I reiterate our deep gratitude to the

international community for welcoming us back into

the fold.

In the last century, humanity witnessed great and

laudable achievements in the political, scientific,

technological and economic fields. Yet, despite those

accomplishments, we continue to face challenges that

need to be fully addressed. Conflicts are abundant;

poverty is rampant; the economic divide between North

and South continues to widen; and the scourge of

HIV/AIDS remains unabated in the world. Nations

around the globe are reeling from the attendant

consequences and call for urgent and immediate action.

The events of 11 September shocked the

conscience of all decent human beings. We in Somalia

relate to the pain and suffering of the people of the

United States in a very profound and special way. The

Somali people have been subjected to a reign of terror

perpetrated by the warlords. We in Somalia, therefore,

know very well what it means to lose loved ones. Let

me say that those who committed the heinous and

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atrocious crimes of 11 September have nothing in

common with Islam or with the Islamic faith. Islam

preaches peace within one’s spiritual self and with

one’s neighbours; it preaches tolerance and

compassion.

Allow me to reiterate our heartfelt and sincere

condolences to the families of the victims and to the

people and the Government of the United States of

America on their tragic loss. We continue to share their

grief and pain.

The inhuman terrorist attacks of 11 September

brought to the forefront new challenges to international

peace and security. Our fight against terrorism must be

based on collective action by the international

community and on the principles enshrined in the

Charter of the United Nations. The immediate and

strong response by the Security Council and the

General Assembly, including the adoption of Security

Council resolution 1373 (2001), reflects our collective

approach in the fight against terrorism. The

Government of Somalia fully supports Security

Council resolution 1373 (2001) and is firmly

committed to translate its provisions into action.

Having said that, I must observe that terrorists

will exploit situations of injustice and imbalance as

well as conflicts in fragile and unstable States. The

international community is under a moral obligation to

come to the aid of those States in the form of post-

conflict peace-building and national reconstruction so

that they do not become vulnerable to the evil forces of

terrorism. In that context, we welcome the statement

made before the Assembly by His Excellency President

George W. Bush, in which he expressed the readiness

of the United States Government to extend assistance

to those countries that lack adequate resources to

combat terrorism. A case in point is the situation in my

country, where there was a political vacuum and no

Government for a decade.

The present Somali Government has been in

office for about a year and a few months. It is a

Government that inherited destroyed institutions and

devastated infrastructure. There are two options before

the international community in dealing with the

situation in Somalia: watch the country slide back into

anarchy and chaos or fully support the struggling

Somali State by providing the necessary resources to

enable it to play a meaningful role in the fight against

terrorism. The Somali Government needs urgent and

adequate assistance from the international community

to be able to comply with resolution 1373 (2001).

Let me at this juncture address the persistent

reports in the media and elsewhere alleging, among

other things, the existence of terrorist camps in

Somalia. First, I should firmly state that the Somali

Government hosts no terrorists nor does it offer bases

or training camps for them. My Government has not

offered and will not offer them any sanctuary. We will

arrest and hand over immediately any known terrorist

who comes to our shores. Secondly, we want to

challenge the veracity of these reports. It is also

important to evaluate objectively the integrity of the

sources of this kind of information.

We are a transparent and open society and are

more than willing to cooperate fully with the United

Nations and with States in this regard. The Somali

Government is ready to invite the media and other

interested parties to visit our country to verify the facts

on the ground. First, we need to see the evidence and

establish the facts first. It is a fundamental principle of

law and natural justice that every person is presumed

innocent until proven guilty. This principle, in our

opinion, is equally applicable to States.

In view of my Government’s serious concern

about these accusations, we propose setting up an

international committee of inquiry under the auspices

of the United Nations Security Council to investigate

these allegations. We also propose that the committee

identify Somalia’s needs in regard to the

implementation of Security Council resolution 1373

(2001). We are fully prepared to cooperate with the

proposed committee, if established, in the fulfilment of

its mandate.

As I mentioned earlier, the Somali Government

has been in office for approximately a year and three

months. During this time, the Government has faced

daunting challenges, primarily in enhancing security in

the capital and others areas. We have succeeded in

demobilizing 25,000 militia personnel. We have

established police stations and deployed 3,000 police

officers in the capital. A judiciary system has been put

in place, courts are functioning, and the Government is

collecting taxes for the first time in a decade.

The Somali Government continues to search for a

lasting peace in Somalia through dialogue with those

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outside the Arta process. This is in conformity with the

Transitional National Charter and resolutions adopted

by regional, subregional and international

organizations, as well as the presidential statements of

the Security Council on Somalia.

In this regard, let me also refer to the numerous

important initiatives that have been launched to

promote national reconciliation and peace in Somalia.

We extend our profound thanks and appreciation to all

those countries that have contributed to the search for

peace in Somalia.

Let me, in this regard, pay special tribute to

President of the Republic of Djibouti, Mr. Ismail Omar

Guelleh, and Government of Djibouti for their

significant, continuous and positive contribution to the

national reconciliation process. I would also like to

thank Mr. Omer Al-Bashir, President of the Sudan and

the current chairman of the Intergovernmental

Authority on Development (IGAD), for his consistent

support for Somalia and the search for a lasting peace

in my country. The United Nations, the Organization of

African Unity, the League of Arab States and IGAD

continue to play a positive role in this regard, for which

we thank them.

Finally, I want to express, on behalf of my

President, our thanks to President Daniel arap Moi for

his recent efforts in bringing peace to Somalia.

President Moi’s latest initiative was the recent meeting

held in Nairobi last month. The meeting brought

together the President of Somalia and some of the

opposition groups. A joint communiqué was signed,

stipulating the principles upon which future talks could

be based. We expect a broader-based meeting to be

held soon.

In conclusion, let me once again emphasize that

Somalia is a struggling country working toward

achieving peace. This country needs massive assistance

for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of its

infrastructure and institutions. We urgently need the

assistance and goodwill of the international

community. It is my sincere hope that the international

community will respond positively and in a timely

manner to our appeal for urgent and immediate

assistance.