Somalia, 2003

Allow me first of all to

sincerely congratulate Mr. Julian Hunte on his election

as President of the fifty-eighth session of the General

Assembly. Your election to the presidency is a

reflection of the high esteem the international

community reserves for your country, Saint Lucia, and

your good person.

At the same time, I would like to express our

appreciation for the excellent manner in which your

predecessor conducted the work of the fifty-seventh

session of the General Assembly.

I would be remiss if I did not pay tribute to

Secretary-General Kofi Anan for his strong

commitment to the principles enshrined in the United

Nations Charter and for defending so courageously the

ideals on which this Organization is based.

The destruction of the United Nations

headquarters in Baghdad, with its unnecessary loss of

life, was a heinous crime against humanity and the

United Nations. Sergio Vieira de Mello and his United

Nations co-workers were in Iraq not as an occupying

Power, but to serve and address the humanitarian needs

of the Iraqi people. This despicable act is tantamount to

cutting off the hand that feeds. We offer our sincere

and profound condolences to Secretary-General Kofi

Anan, the United Nations family and the bereaved

families. In memory of the fallen, it is imperative for

us, Member States, to accelerate ratification of the

Convention on the Safety of United Nations and

Associated Personnel.

The recent high-level meeting at United Nations

Headquarters on the HIV/AIDS pandemic was of

tremendous interest to the world and particularly to

many countries in Africa. The AIDS scourge, having

devastated entire communities, has also negatively

impacted the economic development of countries. In

order to combat this scourge, it is incumbent upon the

international community to make more resources

available, even in those countries where the incidence

of the pandemic is reportedly low.

My country, Somalia, is reported to be one of

those countries in Africa with a very low rate of

infection. However, this should not lead us into

complacency. Countries like Somalia have a unique

chance to prevent the disease from spreading. An AIDS

epidemic would be catastrophic for Somalia and

seriously hamper efforts for peace and nation-building.

It is therefore critical to put into place coordinated and

strategic AIDS education and early response

programmes to prevent the spread of the epidemic in

Somalia. As the saying goes, prevention is better than

cure.

Recent developments in the international arena

present the United Nations with unprecedented

challenges. Whether we succeed or fail will depend

primarily on the manner in which we address these

challenges. In our view, that should be through the

United Nations. We have to reinforce the principles of

the United Nations Charter through which we can

further cement the pillars of international legitimacy on

the basis of the equality of nations big and small, rich

and poor; respect for the sovereignty of peoples; non-

interference in each others’ internal affairs;

renunciation of the use of force in resolving conflicts;

and respect for human rights.

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There are Members of this Organization who

violate these lofty principles with impunity. Israel is an

example in this regard. Israel’s continued occupation of

Arab lands seized by war; its denying the Palestinian

people their dignity; the daily killings of Palestinian

children; the siege of the legitimate leader of the

Palestinian people and calls by Israeli officials for his

killing; and the suffering and daily humiliations

inflicted on the Palestinian people are of great concern

to the international community. We believe that these

gross violations of international law are not in the

interest of Israel or peace in the Middle East. We

believe that the Arab initiative, which has the support

of Arab States, provides a unique opportunity for

achieving a just and comprehensive peace in the

Middle East and specifically between Arabs and

Israelis.

The situation in Iraq continues to be of great

concern. The people of Iraq need peace and

development. The people of Iraq need to recuperate

from the trauma of war and its aftermath. As a country

that has witnessed war and its destruction, we know

what the Iraqi people are going through. We empathize

with them strongly. There must be a commitment from

the international community to respecting the unity,

sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq. The

withdrawal of the occupying forces from Iraq as soon

as possible and the establishment of a truly

representative Government for Iraq based on a

constitution acceptable to all Iraqis continue to be

imperatives. In this regard, the United Nations can and

must play the central role in bringing peace to Iraq.

A fresh wind is blowing throughout Africa, from

the West of the continent to its Eastern and Central

regions. This fresh wind is one of hope and peace not

only for Africa, but also for the world. This wind of

hope and peace needs to be nurtured and sustained by

the international community.

We welcome the progress made in the search for

peace in African countries — the Democratic Republic

of the Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Liberia,

the Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau. The latest and

most welcome progress towards peace is the 22

September 2003 agreement signed in Naivasha, Kenya,

by the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s

Liberation Movement/Sudan People’s Liberation Army.

We encourage the parties to resolve the remaining

outstanding issues in a spirit of accommodation and

mutual understanding. We also commend the

Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD),

the Economic Community of West African States, the

African Union, the United Nations and individual

countries for their valuable assistance in bringing peace

to areas of conflict in Africa.

I pause to share with the General Assembly the

situation in my country, Somalia. We express our deep

gratitude to the Government and people of Kenya for

hosting us and for their perseverance. We strongly

commend Kenya for its active role in promoting peace

in Somalia. I also take this opportunity to thank the

Secretary-General for his valuable support for the

peace process in Somalia. The IGAD Partners Forum,

the African Union, the League of Arab States, the

Organization of the Islamic Conference and IGAD are

to be commended for their firm commitment and input

into this process.

The Somali National Reconciliation Conference

at Mbagathi enters its twelfth month. A lot of ground

has been covered during this period. A declaration on

the cessation of hostilities has been adopted and the

African Union has put in place a monitoring

mechanism. Today, African Union monitors crisscross

nearly all areas of Somalia to ensure the

implementation of the declaration on the cessation of

hostilities.

Equally important is the completion of the first

two phases of the Conference. Despite such progress,

we have been struggling with the last and crucial phase

of the Conference for the past four months. This last

phase envisaged the adoption of an interim charter, to

be followed by the election of an interim head of State

and the formation of an all-inclusive Government of

Somalia. However, disagreements regarding the

content of the interim charter and other important

matters continue to persist. The provisions of the

interim charter that raise the concerns of many touch

upon the shape and very foundations of the

reconstituted State of Somalia. It is for that reason that

the Conference is currently in suspense and stalled,

with the Transitional National Government and at least

seven other groups refraining from participation.

Any interim charter for Somalia, in our view,

must meet certain, basic criteria. First, it must have

Somali ownership. Secondly, it must be the result of a

fair and transparent process. Thirdly, it must have the

support of the Somali stakeholders. Fourthly, it must be

enforceable on the ground. Fifthly, it must reflect the

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unity and indivisibility of the Somali nation. Finally,

any Government that is established under this interim

Charter should be an all-inclusive one. By the same

token, any agreements reached in Kenya must be on a

consensus basis, have the support of the Somalis as

well as of the international community, and be

enforceable on the ground.

To facilitate an agreement based on these criteria,

a re-evaluation of the manner in which the Conference

is currently being run is called for. The IGAD frontline

States must observe the principle of impartiality and

neutrality, without which no mediation can be taken

seriously. Furthermore, the IGAD frontline States must

confine their role to that of an active facilitator and

attempts to fast-track the process with a view to

reaching any agreement in haste and at any price must

be discouraged.

In spite of the current difficulties, I am here to

reiterate before this Assembly the sincere commitment

of the Transitional National Government to the IGAD-

led peace process for Somalia. I hereby state that the

Transitional National Government will rejoin the peace

conference in Mbagathi, Kenya, as soon as its concerns

are fairly addressed. We do this not only for ourselves,

but also for the Somali people, who have suffered so

long. I submit that the solution lies in assisting the

Somali parties to come to an agreement that is owned

by all Somalis, rather than in imposing something

against their will. We urge the international community

to engage itself in the realization of this goal. We must

all work together to ensure that the march to peace in

Somalia is irreversible.

The international community has an obligation to

re-engage in Somalia in a very serious manner and to

re-enforce its role as a promoter of peace there at the

Security Council and other levels, as it has done with

other conflict areas in Africa. It is not enough to

observe or to wait and see. Somalia needs serious

sponsorship to push the peace forward. Finally, we urge

the neighbouring countries of Somalia to scrupulously

comply with the arms embargo imposed on Somalia by

the Security Council. We strongly urge them to do so in

the interest of peace and security in the subregion.