Baashi;942378 wrote: I thought the foreign minister was articulate and little bit familiar with the way Washington works. The take away from this, in my opinion, is that secessionists have given up recognition and are focusing on handouts and the way they are distributed. Another take away is the venue of the event is a think tank center. Personalities in this particular think tank are also familiar. Now anyone who has an idea of how Potomac river works will tell ya this event is no event of consequence. That is my reading as well, Baashi. The battle I think will be fought along the lines of defining Somaliland with which concessions (and there must be concessions for our northern brothers) must be made to. It is a fact that not all those who are in the British Somaliland territory are separatists . This administration only represent certain communities and their aspirations ---that needs to be clear in the engagement.

I refuse to believe the old man traveled all the way for this Something else must brought him here in the US

NGONGE, You are not wrong in saying that Hassan Sheekh polarized Somali politics at a time when Somalia needs reconciliation and trust building. He boxed himself in a decidedly clannish tone with his Jubbaland opposition, an initiative that preceded him, and has been in the works for number of years. You know that separatist ideology has been with us for the last twenty years, and I think there is nothing new about people (whom it will affect the most) opposing it, especially when it seems Siilaanyo is succeeding to gain higher profile than he inherited. In Puntland there is nothing going on really, other than the new 'degaano' election in June 30th. Luckily, it is not only those in Puntland that are interested in a peaceful and transparent process , the IC is knee deep in brokering understanding between parties. I am impressed the maturity of both sides given the context in which this new process in introduced. So the old ship of Puntland has been provided with new navigation with respect to the direction it should go ..the fuel is full, the captain reasonable, and the merchants on-board well informed---the only area of dispute or disagreement is how many stops should the ship make before it gets to the final destination. So there is nothing new this topic brings to the discussion , other than Ayoub's desire to practice his name calling with Puntland i.e. Pirates, Trinity ..and stuff

Aaliyah, waxaa loo wadaa carabta, saan fahamsanahay

^^Oodweyne, we love you, but it is the truth we love more Jubbaland, and A Yusuf political career has too many posts in this fora. This is about Ayoub trying something he is ill-equipped to do

^^It happens all the time in opinion pages --with every critique there is a bit of an over kill. But out of the 3 conclusions Faysal made from president's speech , I think one can argue 2 are true , right on the money: 1) incompetent handleres ( I saw it in Minneapolis, and I said so then), and 2) lack of all encompassing vision for the country---he seems an accidental leader. (1) He finally comes around to bow down to the lords of the Horn of Africa, (2) His handlers are mostly uninitiated in diplomacy and served him poorly, and (3) the President seems not to have a vision but makes his policy decisions by the fly. Unfortunately, that is not the path to reconstructing Somalia’s failed state. I agree with you the first one is reading too much into what the president has done at Tana

LOL@NGONGE what topic? Trinity, Pirates election, and the inhidait of biladu Punt ? Ayoub started with the wrong foot--his misstep triggered the avalanche awoowe

lol@Johny B One misses John's legendary stories of God and Girls with Somali Politics in the mix. On Professor Samatar, if I were him I would meet the old man and have a talk--he is the leader of mother region. Jacaylbaro's repent nonsense notwithstanding, teh good Professor shares a region, not ideology with Siilaanyo, and them having a cup of coffee at DC Hotel would be prudent and wise

Baashi, Waxaani naf ma leh with the exception of few. Hadda intaad qortay ninkii caqli leh waa ka garaabi lahaa, ee garaysan lahaa, laakiin sidii wiilal yar oo hoyadood tiri madaxa cidda ka ceshada hadday sidoodii isasoo maqiiqayaan. U fiirso

Rooble has a point. Ethiopia is an important neighbor but the president's speech of showering praises is unwarranted. I find Rooble most sincere in his critique ---he is very upfront person, so his delivery style is hardly diplomatic in tone

oba hiloowlow;942147 wrote: this is a move against Mogadishu lol why is that, oba? You take forum discussions too serous :D. Keep in mind we are talking about a foreign minister of Kenya, not Somalia.

Baashi, nimankaan shaahaan kula cabaa Somaliaonline. Mintid is a proven doc-ka-yeer, Ayoub waa mar-soo-bax. Oodweyne and NGONGE waa old friends of this forum; one knows what to expect from them when things get rough in the triangle. Puntland politics is at its best really --we have been hosting the leader of Midnimo in the Twin Cites for this week so one is fully informed about the process of democratization in that Recovery Zone (as you like to call it). Separatists are here to make noise, and I shoe them away

^^habaarku waa sign of weakness , it is the trenches of grieve stricken brothers who after twenty years of songs and dances about independence behave today as their struggles starts a fresh All I am saying is disagree as you should with political strategies but do it with some degree of decorum

Faysal as always aptly captures Hassan's on the job training activities

I just came across the speech of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud, dated April 21, 2013, which he delivered at the second TANA HIGH LEVEL FORUM BOARD. Despite that the press release could have used some competent editing (Like catching the President’s name in lower case) the message conveyed is crystal clear. Hassan_Culusow_TanaTo those unsuspecting presidential handlers, the symbolic importance of Tana Lake as the venue of the conference must have eluded them. Alas, Tana Lake is the symbol of the defiant and triumphant Christian Ethiopia in the Horn of Africa. . To showcase the epicenter of Christianity in the Horn of Africa to the President of Somalia is not only a cultural but also political statement. Cultural Symbolism of Tana Lake To the Ethiopian host of the conference, Prime Minister Haile Mariam Desalegn, the symbolism of organizing this annual gathering for friends of Ethiopia has both local and regional symbolism. Tana Lake (Tana Hayq in Amharic) is to Ethiopia what the city of Mecca is to Muslims. As much as Mecca houses the most relished shrines and religious relics of Islam, Tana Lake equally houses key religious symbols of Ethiopia’s pervasive Orthodox Church. Tana Lake is and has always been within the core region of Christian Ethiopia. Whereas Aksum has been the Tigrray region’s focal point, Tana Lake has been the single most important religious center of the Amhara civilization. As such, through a ferry system that traverses the Lake, it is connected to Bahir Dahar, the admnistrative seat of the Amhara regional government. The Lake itself houses as many as 35 islands and numerous monasteries. Some of the most revered monasteries in Ethiopia’s Orthodox Church, like the tomb of King Zara Ya Qob, 1399–1468 or the Church of Madhana Alam, are both located in one or another of the many Islands in the Lake. King Zara Ya Qob is the most intelligent and well admired King in Ethiopian history, while Madhana Alam is most celebrated and perhaps most popular saint. Prior to being moved to an Aksum located monastery, the Ark of Covenant was once housed here in Tana Lake. According to Graham Hancock, the author of “The Sign and the Seal,” the location of the Ark of Covenant is so secretive (only known by one priest at any given time) that the Israel Mosad, whose desire is to house the relic in a Jewish synagogue, has after many decades of searching it finally gave it up. Another equally important symbolic message that the Somali President must have subliminally digested in is that the Tana Lake area represents a history where the struggle of Imam Ahmed Alkhzali (Ahmed Guray as known by Somalis) was decisively defeated. In the Ethiopian view point, Tana Lake is the crescendo of the Orthodox Church in the Horn of Africa. Political Symbolism Tana Lake is the most important source of the Nile. Because of the dark and fertile soil Ethiopian tributaries emanating from Tana Lake and elsewhere contribute to the Nile, that portion of the Nile inside Ethiopia is called Blue Nile – as in Blue Nile that is rich in alluvial soil. Experts of the Ethio-Egyptian politics main that Egypt’s agriculture would have heavily suffered had it not been the sediments carried and transported by the Blue Nile from Tana Lake and elsewhere in Ethiopia. The Tana Lake conference, attended a couple of leader who are historically admirers of Ethiopia since the establishment of the Organization for African Unity (OAU), came only days after Eritria’s dictator, Mr. Essayas Afwerke, accorded his unwavering support for Egypt in its long entanglement with Ethiopia over the Nile water. In exchange, the Eritrean Ministry of Information reported that “the Egyptian Prime Minister welcomed fostering collaboration with Eritrea. In this respect, he stressed the need for Eritrea to maintain full membership in the organization of the Nile River Littoral States so that it may play effective role.” In light of President Hassan’s religious roots (Dum-Aljadid sect) and the alleged charge that his election was bankrolled by about $2 million dollars that was quickly delivered by Arab countries to his election effort in August of 2012, one is faced with this question: Is President Hassan Sheikh a friend of Egypt’s government run by the victorious Muslim Brotherhood or that of his neighbor? Was it so crucial for him to attend this conference? Was he being hosted or hoaxed at Tana Lake, the symbol of Ethiopia’s Orthodox Church? Either way, it is obvious that the President was not briefed beyond his travel itinerary, perhaps the busiest travel schedule of any President; He may not have been educated on the cultural and political symbolism of him being hosted, to some hoaxed, at the TANA conference. One surmises that part of the objective why Ethiopia’s Prime Minister decided to bring President Hassan last minute to Tana could be to have the later pay tribute and homage to Ethiopia’s supremacy in the region. This hypothesis is plausible especially when one looks at what Ethiopian feudal lords for century called the practice of ‘dhaji tinad,” or paying tribute to the Lord. In this concept, peasants must show deference to the lord in accepting an invitation by the lord, and then remain gracious to wait until received. If nothing else, the President’s visit to Tana Lake, the seat of Christianity in the Horn of Africa, was the ultimate “dhaji tinad” the Somali President delivered, and Ethiopian leaders could not have been happier. The Crux of the President’s Speech President’s Hassan’s speech at the TANA HIGH LEVEL FORUM (press release dated April 21, 2013) could be read as the first official bowing down of the President of Somalia to the lords of the Horn of Africa (Ethiopian leaders). That sentiment is aptly captured by the endearing words of “dhaji tinaad,” or homage to the lords: “I am delighted to pay my tribute and great admiration to the champion and the biggest advocate to peace and stability in Africa in general and in this region in particular, the late Prime Minister of Ethiopia, H.E. Meles Zenewi.” Paying this significant tribute to the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi comes at an opportune time when the 9 regional administrations of Ethiopia are all building their own version of a memorial monument epitomizing the “great leadership” of the late PM Meles Zenawi. President Hassan verbally echoed what has so far been confined only to Ethiopians. A monument for PM Meles in Mogadishu for his “championing peace in the region” could possibly earn the late Meles Zenawi a “peace statue” in the breeze beach side of Mogadishu’s Cambo Amxaro (traditional Ethiopian neighborhood in pre-civil war Mogadishu). To the current Prime Minister, who publicly humiliated President Hassan in his previous trips the later paid to Addis Ababa, the tribute was equally noticeable: “I am particularly indebted to Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn who offered (italics is my emphasis) me to participate for the first time in this Forum.” It irks many Somalis to see their President using a language normally expected from a Junior High School student who is expressing unbounded gratitude to being invited to a youth club. A seasoned presidential speech writer could have re-written the above phrase something akin to the following: “We are graced to be amongst you and make our contribution to this conference………” The most hypocritical portion of the President’s speech was captured by this sentence: “Africa must have the courage to say Crime is a Crime whatever elements it involves, it has no justification, and we have to combat it once and for all both intellectually and militarily in a unified manner.” The President is not in sync with his previous dismissive attitude towards those Somalis who feel wronged in the 1991 civil war in favor of criminals. In one of his speeches, the President triumphantly said: “One’s moryan” (criminal/looter and killer) “is another’s liberator,” implying that those who committed crimes against humanity in the 1991 Mogadishu civil war are not criminals but liberator of Mogadishu. The unfiltered visit of President Hassan to Tana Lake is an indication of three things: (1) He finally comes around to bow down to the lords of the Horn of Africa, (2) His handlers are mostly uninitiated in diplomacy and served him poorly, and (3) the President seems not to have a vision but makes his policy decisions by the fly. Unfortunately, that is not the path to reconstructing Somalia’s failed state. Faisal A. Roble Email: faisalroble19@gmail.com

^^I am NOT buying your dramatic apology , I demand a change of behavior. You have been found naked many a times spewing nonsense and outright lies about entire communities. Xiinfaniin, the online persona, has proved very consistent in his push back , and it is having an effect. The apology however insincere, and call for a ceasefire are testimony for separatist propaganda limits

^^I support Ahmed Madoobe party in Kismayo Waryee ragga sida loola hadlo waad ilowdee, bal carafaat ku bar baro

^^ :D

Aamina Maxamed oo loo magacaabay wasiirka arrimaha dibadda ee Kenya Talaado, April 23, 2013 (HOL) - Madaxweynaha dalka Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta ayaa galabta ku dhawaaqay qaar kamid ah golihiisa wasiirrada, iyadoo inta hartayna gadaal laga soo magacaabi doono. Wasaarada arrimaha dibadda oo kamid ah wasaaradaha ugu muhiimsan ayaa loo magacaabay Aamina Maxamed oo asalkeedu Soomaali yahay, islamarkaana xilal kala duwan kasoo qabatay dalka Kenya iyo qaramada midoobay. Haweenaydan oo ah diblamaasiyad caan ah ayaa xilal kasoo qabatay wasaaradaha arrimaha dibadda,cadaalada iyo dawladaha hoose. Waxay kaloo noqotay ku xigeenka madaxa Hay’adda UNEP ee fadhigeedu yahay magaalada Nairobi iyo safiiradda Kenya u joogta xarunta qaramada midoobay ee Geneva, iyadoo sidoo kalana tartan u gashay inay qabato jagada ugu sarreysa hay’ada ganacsiga aduunka ee World Trade Organization (WTO). Waxayna noqonaysaa haweeynadii ugu horreysay ee noqota wasiirka arrimaha dibadda ee Kenya, iyadoo sidoo kalana noqonaysa markii ugu horreysay ee wasaarada arrimaha dibada loo dhiibo gabar kasoo jeeda Soomaalida dalka Kenya. Dawlada uu hogaaminayo madaxweyne Uhuru Kenyatta ayaad moodaa inay Soomaalida Kenya door muhiim ah ka ciyaarayaan, iyadoo hogaamiyaha isbahaysiga Jubilee ee aqalka baarlamaanka oo iyagu haysta aqlabiyada kuraastana loo magacaabay xildhibaan Aadan Barre Ducaale oo laga soo doorto magaalada Gaarisa ee xarunta gobolka waqooyi bari. Aamina ayaa markii la magacaabay Kadib sheegtay inay aad ugu faraxsantahay xilka loo dhiibay. “Waan ku faraxsanahay sida uu ii sharfay madaxweynaha” ayay ku tiri hadal gaaban oo ay jeedisay iyadoo barbar taagnayd madaxweynaha. Waxayna Aamina kamid tahay 4-ta wasiir ee uu sida rasmiga ah u shaaciyay Madaxweyne Kenyatta, iyadoo loo magacaabay Dr. Fred Okengo Matiang'i wasiirka warfaafinta, isgaarsiinta iyo teknoolajiyada, Mr. Henry K. Rotich wasiirka hanta dhowrka iyo James Wainaina Macharia oo isna loo magacaabay wasiirka caafimaadka. Waxaana wasiiradan la horgaynaa barlamaanka si ay u ansixiyaan, iyadoo madaxweynuhuna uu ku tilmaamay inay yihiin dad lagu soo xulay aqoontooda ayna yihiin dad Kenya horumar gaarsiin kara. Soomaalida dalka Kenya ayaa jagooyinka ay heleen loo malaynayaa inay ka dambayso taageeridii ay siiyeen Uhuru Kenyatta oo dadka gobolka waqooyi bari ka helay codad aad u badan. Axmed C/samad, Hiiraan Online asamad@Hiiraan Online Nairobi , Kenya

^^The London Conference are not held yet, so be smart & stop bragging about the future . But if you were aiming at entertainment on my expense, then one concludes you have not been smart about it. Transparency, they say, is always good

^^No Problem bro

Marwo Faadumo Ugaas Barre oo Shaacisay in ay u taagantahay xilka madaxweenenimo ee dowlad goboleedka Jubbaland Talaado, 23 April, 2013(HOL) :- Iyadoo maalmihii ugu danbeeyay ay isa soo tarayeen musharixiinta u taagan xilka madaxweeynenimo ee dowlad goboleedka Jubbaland ayaa waxa maanta marki ugu horeeysay shaacisay musharaxnimadeeda madaxtinimo Marwo Faadumo Ugaas Barre Ugaas Axmed. Marwo Faadumo Ugaas ayaa shir jaraa’id ay maanta ku qabatay Hotel Waamo ee magaalada Kismaayo ayay ku shaacisay in ay u taagantahay xilka madaxweeynenimo ee dowlad goboleedka Jubbaland, taasoo la filayo in dhawaan looga dhawaaqo degmada Kismaayo. Haweeneydani oo ah aqoonyahannad kasoo jeeda gobollada Jubooyinka ayaa sheegtay in hadii loo doorto xilka madaxweeynenimo ee dowlad goboleedka Jubbaland ay wax ka qaban doonto arimaha ay kamidka yihiin Ammaanka, Waxbarashada, horumarka iyo weliba soo celinta wax soo saarkii ay caanka ku ahaayeen gobollada Jubooyinka. "Kadib markii aan arkay dhibaatada daashatay wadanka, kadib markaan arkay burburka saameeyay dalka Soomaaliya gaar ahaan Jubooyinka, kadib markaan dayaca heysto haweenka Soomaaliyeed iyo carurta ayaan go'aansaday in aan isu soo sharaxo xilka madaxweeynaha Jubbaland," ayay tiri haweeneydani oo warbaahinta la hadleeysay. Sidoo kale waxaa halkaasi ka hadlay qaar kamid ah waxgaradkii halkaasi ku sugnaa kuwaasoo sheegay in ay soo dhaweeynayaan in markii ugu horeeysay ruux dumar ay isu soo taagto qabashada xilka madaxweeynenimo ee dowlad goboleedka Jubbaland, waxaana dadkii halkaasi ka hadlay kamid ahaa Cabdi Ruush oo kamid ah aqoonyahannada reer Kismaayo, kaasoo sheegay in uu aad ugu faraxsanyahay in uu arko ruux haween ah oo u tartameeysa hogaanka ugu sareeya ee Jubooyinka. Haweeneydani ayaa noqoneeysa tii ugu horeeysay oo shaacisa in ay u taagantahay xilka madaxweenenimo ee dowlad goboleedka Jubbaland, xilli magaalada Kismaayo uu ka soconayo shir la doonayo in dowlad goboleed loogu dhiso sedexda gobol ee J/hoose, J/dhexe iyo Gedo. Xasan Nuur, Hiiraan Online Hnur@hiiraan.com Kismaayo-Soomaaliya.

^^Adeer there is nothing I can do to alleviate your cuqdad against those you call 'unholy trinity', but xiin is unaware of any such political groupings. Besides, if you think my response or prediction is unreliable why bother ask me , Ayoub?