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| Ambassador Francois Lounseny Fall, SRSG for Somalia
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NAIROBI, 25 Aug 2005 (IRIN) - Somalia still faces many challenges but there are some encouraging signs of political progress, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia, Ambassador Francois Lounseny Fall, said on Wednesday.
In an interview with IRIN in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, Fall said the Somali people urgently needed to talk to each other to resolve outstanding differences. Below are excerpts from the interview:
QUESTION: You have been the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia for some months now. Are you increasingly optimistic or pessimistic about prospects for lasting peace and stability in this country?
ANSWER: I have been SRSG for three months and I am optimistic because many things have been done. First, the relocation [of the interim government from Kenya to Somalia in June] started when I came. This was positive because many people thought the new government would stay in Nairobi; few people believed they would move to Somalia. That was a first step. It was very important that the government moved into the territory. Secondly, I have visited Somalia twice - Jowhar and Mogadishu. What I have seen there is that something is moving. Unfortunately the institutions are not functioning as we expect.
Also, the Security Council met at the same period and took into account the major problem of Somalia - the political process. However, there is need to foster dialogue among the leaders. We have met several times with the president [Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed] and the prime minister [Ali Muhammad Gedi]. It is a process - a long and difficult process. But I believe with the support of the international community, especially the African Union (AU), and IGAD [the regional Inter-Governmental Authority on Development], it is possible to foster agreement among them.
Already we have an oral agreement. Last week, the prime minister said - publicly - he is ready for dialogue. The MPs who are in Mogadishu have also written to me saying they are ready for dialogue. And they all believe in the leadership of the UN.
Q: The standoff between the president and prime minister, who are in Jowhar, and the parliamentary speaker and MPs in Mogadishu, is surely hurting the political process in Somalia. What specifically is your office doing to resolve this?
A: We are an international body. The UN is taking the situation like a process that should be solved within the framework of the institution. We have to work with both the speaker and the people in Mogadishu, and the president and the people in Jowhar. We are trying to encourage them. The UN is not imposing anything on them, except the arms embargo. Our role is to help the Somali leaders to resume dialogue and have a lasting solution.
Q: What impact do you see the continuing standoff having on the overall humanitarian situation across the country?
A: The humanitarian situation is related to the security situation. Humanitarian workers can work in Somalia, but there are some areas they cannot go to. You can see for example, the ship that was hijacked [the MV Semlow that was carrying food aid, which was hijacked in July] near Haradhere. The humanitarian workers are trying to help the Somalis but when some warlord hijacks the food the international community has sent to try and help the people, that is not right. We are working with the humanitarian agencies and the government to secure these areas because the Somali people need help.
We still have on the table with the speaker and the people in Mogadishu on the one hand, and the government in Jowhar on the other, a road map on the four major issues of Somalia - which was also emphasised by the Security Council. These include the safe relocation of the institutions since the government is saying Mogadishu is not secure and they prefer Jowhar as the temporary seat of the government. The UN is not trying to impose that but they have to agree among themselves. Also they have to agree where the parliament should be seated.
Security is a major issue and we are trying to work with both sides to ensure stability and to set up a proper national security council. We are also trying to get an agreement on the deployment of the peace support operation - IGASOM [proposed IGAD peacekeeping force] troops into the country, and to encourage national reconciliation.
Q: On the question of security, there are recent reports of outbreaks of conflict in various parts of the country, in Baidoa for example. Do you see a possibility that Somalia could one day slide back to war again?
A: We are following carefully what is happening in the territory. Last week, I met and told the prime minister that for the UN, any military action would be unacceptable. We are working now to have a comprehensive ceasefire involving all the parties and are following carefully what is going on so we can find some other solution, not a military one.
Q: You did mention the arms embargo. What is your office doing about this?
A: You know there is a resolution of the UN Security Council on the arms embargo on Somalia. The Council established a committee of experts to follow the implementation of the resolution - in fact their office is here [in Nairobi]. In July they submitted a report to the Council which said that there was a large flow of arms to Somalia. That means the arms embargo is not being respected and that is not acceptable.
Q: Do you know where these arms are coming from?
A: The committee indicated some names of countries, but it is a matter in the hands of the Security Council. At the appropriate time, the Council will decided on that matter.
Q: The proposed deployment of IGASOM is one of the contentious issues - one of the reasons that there are differences between the MPs in Mogadishu and the leaders in Jowhar. One group do not want frontline states to contribute troops, the other appears to. What are trying to do about this?
A: I do not think that the problem of the composition of the troops is a big issue today. In my discussions with both the Mogadishu and Jowhar groups, it now seems that everyone is in agreement that frontline states should not be members of IGASOM. At the request of the Security Council, IGAD and the AU are working to find and agree on the best way. I am also going to Addis [Ababa, the Ethiopian capital and AU headquarters] this weekend, where I will meet the AU chairman to discuss the same issue.
Q:Do you see some countries that border Somalia, like Kenya, not contributing troops to IGASOM?
A: It depends on the Somali people. They should agree on the composition of the troops with IGAD. My understanding is that some people are against the deployment of troops from the frontline states. We are following the agreement of the Somalis themselves and of IGAD and the AU.
Q:Turning to the question of Somaliland [the northwestern self-declared republic] and Puntland [the northeastern self-declared autonomous region]. You visited Mogadishu and Jowhar recently. Are you planning to visit Hargeysa and Bossaso [capitals of Somaliland and Puntland respectively] soon?
A: I should have gone to Somaliland this weekend, but the leaders there requested that I postpone my visit because they are in campaigns [for local elections]. I will go there as soon as possible.
Q:What do you plan to tell them - do you see them coming back to become part of Somalia?
A: The problems of Somalia are contained in the relevant resolutions of the Security Council which talk of the integrity of Somalia. Today a new situation has developed, but in my mandate as Special Representative of the [UN] Secretary General, I am working, first of all, to avoid hostilities to help implement the Somali peace process. Then we will address the problem of Somaliland at an appropriate time.
Q: In your own assessment, how soon do you see Somalia existing as a functioning state again?
A: I am not pessimistic but I cannot tell you exactly when that will happen. For 14 years we have had war in Somalia. This is the beginning of a new process - we now have a government and a parliament. We just need to make them more functional. I cannot say in three to four months we will have a functional state, but we are in the process and will continue to encourage them to seek peace. There is no other way. They have tried war and it did not work. The only way is to ensure peace.
Q: Looking ahead to a possible post-conflict scenario in Somalia, what role do you see the international community, especially the UN, playing in reconstruction efforts there?
A: We have already started. We have some money to help Somalia - a trust fund, to start rebuilding Somalia. UNDP [the UN Development Programme] is already in the country doing some projects. For example, we are soon going to rehabilitate a hospital in Mogadishu. But the Somali people have to understand that they have to ensure peace and the international community is ready to assist them financially.
We are trying now to foster dialogue between the leaders which is expected to be followed by a high-level meeting which will take into consideration all the needs of the Somalis. Last week we had a meeting in Jowhar which discussed the needs of the government. But the donors are encouraged when they see some progress on the ground, that is why we are telling the Somali leaders that they need to build a functional government and parliament. That is when the international community can come in to help.
Q:Specifically, what kind of support should Somalis expect from your office?
A: We have good relations with both sides - the president and prime minister, and the speaker and MPs. Secondly, they know that we are willing to be more active to help them foster dialogue. What they expect is that the UN should lead the [peace] process and we are ready to play that role. We will continue, day and night, to encourage them to work with all the countries that have influence over Somalia.
Q: Any other thoughts on the Somalia question?
A: I would like to tell our brothers in Somalia that they need to sit down and talk. They need to listen to the international community. The people of Somalia have suffered enough. They are the same people, speaking the same language, having the same religion. There is progress in conflicts some areas of Africa now. Many thought the problem in Burundi would never be solved. Even in [the Democratic Republic of] Congo, Sudan and Cote d’Ivoire.
They [the Somalis] need to talk. The solution to Somalia’s problems will not come from outside the country but from within the country.
[ENDS]
