Somalia, 2009

I would like

to begin by congratulating Mr. Ali Treki on his election

as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth

session. We are confident that the international

community will greatly benefit from his experience

and wisdom on the political and human fronts, and at

the local and international levels. I also take this

opportunity warmly to thank the Secretary-General and

all Governments, international organizations and

permanent members who have offered support and

have promoted peace and stability in Somalia, and who

have delivered to our country the aid necessary to

protect our sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity.

I wish to express our condolences to the families

of those who have lost their lives in defence of peace

and stability in Somalia. I would particularly like to

thank the African Union, which has made tremendous

sacrifices for the cause of peace in Somalia.

I would now like to talk about the efforts and

progress made by the Government of Somalia since it

came to power through the Djibouti peace process —

progress made despite the enormous difficulties and

challenges facing the Somali nation, particularly given

that it was established after 18 years of anarchy and

chaos. My Government’s priorities include improving

the security situation, promoting efforts towards

reconciliation and providing essential humanitarian

assistance to the displaced and the suffering in our

country.

Unfortunately, however, the rebels are

endeavouring to overthrow the Somali Government,

which is still taking its first steps in achieving security.

These rebel elements have conducted a violent

insurrection against the Government, fuelled by the

negative effects and consequences of the past 18 years,

which are further compounded by prevailing high

unemployment and our country’s weakness in the field

of security. It is clear that extremist foreign elements

have joined the ranks of the insurgency and some of

these foreign extremists hold key rebel leadership

positions.

I would like to recall that we thwarted the

attempted coup d’état perpetrated by the rebels against

the Government. We believe that we were able to

prevail thanks, first and foremost, to God, and then

through the efforts of our Government and people and

the help we received from the international community

and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

We are currently endeavouring to promote and bolster

the Somali security forces, to create new naval forces

and a new coast guard to tackle the problem of piracy,

which continues to threaten international shipping in

the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. However,

despite all our achievements we still have a long road

to travel.

Rebellion in Somalia is a new form of insurgency

that is emerging in the world today. This rebellion is

conducted by foreign and Somali extremists who are

against Islam, against peace, against security and

against stability. They are spoilers who sow destruction

and take exploit the chaos and anarchy that have

existed in Somalia since 1991.

We suggest that what is happening in Somalia

should not be underestimated or taken lightly. The

international community should take prompt and

decisive steps to ensure that our people are not held

hostage by these extremist groups who are working

against our freedom and our destiny. From this rostrum

I would like to state that if the world does not

comprehend the gravity of what is happening in

Somalia, then the consequences will be very harmful.

The troubles we are experiencing threaten to proliferate

into neighbouring countries and indeed throughout the

world.

The problem of international terrorism is not

confined to Somalia and this problem should be

addressed at the international level.

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I turn now to the issue of piracy, which has

recently become a matter of major concern for the

international community. The phenomenon of piracy is

closely linked to the current security situation in

Somalia. As a result, as long as the security situation in

Somalia remains unchanged, piracy will continue in

one way or another. We would like to say, however,

that there has of late been a reduction of piracy as a

result of collective international endeavours. Still, it

remains essential to make additional efforts to combat

piracy.

Toxic waste sunk off the Somali coast, unlawful

fishing and the pillaging of national wealth are a

violation of Somali sovereignty and cause considerable

damage, which has a negative effect on the

environment through the pollution caused.

We are resolved to engage in a political dialogue

that is open to all Somali stakeholders, including the

armed rebels.

We are determined to sit down at the negotiating

table with all parties, even those who are against the

Government, any time and any place, in order to end

the conflict raging in our country. We will spare no

effort to end the conflict and find a lasting political

solution. We will ensure the security of our people and

protect our sovereignty and territorial integrity.

However, the extremists do not believe in the benefit of

any manner of dialogue or negotiation; they believe

only in guns and cannons.

We are ready to establish a firm foundation for an

open, transparent and participatory democratic political

system by creating sound democratic institutions that

reflect the collective political will and the cultural

values of the Somali people. That system will be based

on an institutional regime and constitutional

mechanisms designed to protect human rights and the

rule of law.

Similarly, we will foster genuine Islamic

principles that encourage tolerance, personal freedoms,

respect for individual rights and equal rights for all

under the law, without regard to gender, clan or ethnic

origin.

In addition, we will work tirelessly towards

establishing a free-market economic system to attract

foreign direct investment and encourage private

ownership. The system we will introduce will have

sound and effective financial institutions with strong

built-in anti-corruption mechanisms.

We will use all available means to rebuild a

national Somali State that is at peace with itself, with

its neighbours and with the international community.

Furthermore, we intend to cooperate closely with the

international community in the security sphere.

At this trying moment in history, Somalia

urgently needs the support and assistance of the

international community, in particular in the form of

security and humanitarian aid. Since 1991, Somalia has

not enjoyed peace, stability or security. Thus, it has

been difficult to achieve social and economic

development and to protect human rights.

Security and stability may be established if

certain essential measures are taken, including

promotion of the security and police components, the

judiciary and administrative institutions. African Union

troops should be increased to a necessary level and

augmented by other troops, provided that they are

sufficiently funded, trained and equipped to carry out

their task. In order to restore security in Somalia, those

measures must be implemented decisively and as soon

as possible.

In the context of humanitarian assistance, it must

be emphasized that the situation of refugees, both

within Somalia and outside its borders, continues to

deteriorate. There are nearly 3.8 million people in the

country requiring humanitarian assistance. Our people

are experiencing a real humanitarian tragedy that is

compounded by several years of drought. Humanitarian

access to those in need is considerably hampered by

the security situation that has deteriorated as a result of

the conflict.

In connection with Security Council resolutions

on the arms embargo, I urge the Council to reconsider

the matter and appeal to it to assist us in strengthening

our security forces without which any endeavour to

rebuild infrastructure and achieve security and stability

in Somalia will be impossible.

On the donors conference held in Brussels in

April 2009 pursuant to Security Council resolution

1863 (2009), we wish to ask donor countries which

have made funds available to Somalia to speed up the

allocation of additional funding. I also urge United

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Nations Member States and Security Council members

to take further measures to support the Republic of

Somalia more effectively in order to end the

intransigence of the extremists and to ensure that no

further obstacles exist to rehabilitating Somalia and

rebuilding its infrastructure so that we can bring an end

to the genuine daily tragedy of the people in Somalia.

We firmly believe that our progress on security is

likely to enable us to counter the negative economic

and social impacts of the chaotic events of the past

18 years. Somalia would be in a position to revive the

entrepreneurial spirit of the people of Somalia. We

have already begun to make tangible progress with

remittances from Somalis abroad. If Somalia enjoyed

some level of stability and security our economy could

progress reasonably in the coming years. In any event,

peace, stability and development are all interlinked;

there can be no peace without development or

development without peace and stability.

The worldwide economic decline has severely

affected the people of Somalia and has placed an

additional burden on their shoulders. From this

rostrum, we reiterate our appeal for joint, urgent action

for Somalia. I stand before the Assembly fully

confident in the future of Somalia. It is a country with

vast natural and human resources. We believe and we

are confident that, with support, we will be able to

make genuine and concrete progress.