Should we (Somalis) blame Ethiopia or ourselves ?...What do you think of this speach?

[Lefty]

Speech of the President of Somalia

At the Summit of the Heads of State and Government

-Maputo, Republic of Mozambique, 4-12 July 2003-

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Your Excellency, Mr. Chairman,

Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government,

Distinguished Delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is with immense joy that I address today this July gathering of the most distinguished leaders of our continent and extend to Your Excellencies the sincere and warmest greetings of the people of Somalia, a nation that is striving to overcome the nightmare of a decade of civil strife which caused a massive loss of human lives and the complete destruction of all what it has achieved since independence in 1960.

Mr. Chairman,

Allow me to extend, on behalf of my delegation and on my own behalf, our sincere and profound gratitude to Your Excellency and through you to the brotherly people of Mozambique for the kind hospitality accorded to us since our arrivel in your wonderful capital of Maputo. I would like to express our best wishes for Your Excellency's wellbeing and for the progress, prosperity and happiness of your country and people.

 

 

Excellency, Mr. Chairman,

Excellencies, Heads of State and Government,

Distinguished Delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

Three years ago a Transitional National Authority has been established at a Peace and Reconciliation Process held in Arta, Djibouti and sponsored by the President of Djibouti, H.E. Mr. Ismail Omar Guelleh after a ten years civil war following the collapse of the military regime in Somalia in 1991, with the high hope of bringing the country back to a normal and peaceful situation.

 

If the Transitional National Government could not deliver the required result, it is not because it lacked the goodwill or the human resources. It had both in abundance. But what it lacked was the support of the International Community, particularly the African governments which failed to assist to solidify the gains of the Arta Peace Process which established the Transitional National Authorities.

 

After suffering so much as a result of the civil war, the people of Somalia rightly deserved an improvement in the standard of living and the security situation; two factors that would help the citizens to come out of the abyss of despair.

But I must admit that, in the three years of its existence, the Transitional National Government could not satisfy the needs of the masses, as the TNG was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the problem that needed to be tackled i.e. the flow of arms and ammunition into the country from across the de facto border with Ethiopia, in flagrant violation of the UN Resolution 733 (1992) of 23 January 1992 on arms embargo on Somalia; encouraging and strengthening the hand of the factions to carry on the holding the country hostage at gun point; the lack of support from the International Community, UN or AU, for the disarmament of the these factions and their militias and so on.

 

The Government had to face the anti-establishment elements that were represented by the factions and a foreign power, namely Ethiopia, which provided them with the arms and ammunition to oppose the government's policy to bring back peace and stability. With the help and support of the foreign power, these warlords in Somalia terrorized and indiscriminately killed innocent people, including children and elderly and constantly violating the human rights.

 

The Charter of the African Union calls upon member states to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of other countries and to respect the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries. In most of the internal political crisis in Africa there is external interference that adds fuel to the already burning flames, either through direct involvement or by proxy. In our case, our neighbor, Ethiopia, interferes in our internal affairs, directly by attacking Somali border towns and indirectly supplying arms to the factions to destabilize the country. This is in flagrant violation of the Charter of the African Union. Africa must condemn such an act of aggression against a sovereign state.

 

It is such an external interference in the internal affairs of other counties that undermines the stability and the good governance. For nearly ten years before the establishment of the Transitional National Government and three years since the existence of the new Government, Somalia was denied by Ethiopia both internal stability as well as a good governance. Ethiopia is also actively involved in the dismemberment of the Somali Republic. It is supplying arms and finance and rendering political support to the secessionist group in the Northern Region. All what Ethiopia is doing is contrary to the Charters of the African Union and the United Nations.

 

In fact, now, in this moment at the Peace and Reconciliation in Nairobi, Addis Ababa regime, led by Meles Zenawi, is using all its influence in the IGAD Technical Committee to keep the Northern Region out the conference, with aim of the making the secession of the Northern Region as a fait accompli.

 

When the whole world welcomed the new government in Somalia, Ethiopia alone was the government in Africa that categorically refused to accept, claiming that the process at Arta, Djibouti, which elected the government was not complete and inclusive. And now it is Ethiopia, in contradiction to its own policy, which does mind if a whole Region is absent from the conference. Yesteryear, the absence of some parts, made the conference of Arta, what our neighbours called "incomplete" and this year the absence is just "normal" because it suits its foreign policy of dividing Somalia into cantonments.

 

Mr. Chairman,

Excellencies, Heads of State and Government,

Distinguished Delegates,

 

The Organisation of African Unity was established to unite Africa, and the African Union too is for the unity of Africa and both the Charters the old and new advocate the unity and territorial integrity of African countries and not the division or dismemberment of the continent or its countries.

 

It is most unfortunate that the country whose capital is the Headquarter of the African Union is actually engaged in dismembering and destabilizing a neighbouring country. Ethiopia would have denied it and some of you would not have believed it if it was Somalia or me to reveal the sinister activities and the involvement of the so-called "the custodian" of the African Union Charter in the internal affairs of an independent, fellow African and a member state of the same organization.

 

We are not crying wolf. These are only few examples of interference of this giant neighbour of ours and the physical and armed interference in the affairs of Somalia by Ethiopia has vividly been recorded by the Panel of Experts established by the UN Security Council pursuant to the Resolution 751 (1992), "to generate independent information on violations of the arms embargo on Somalia and to provide recommendations on possible practical steps and measures for implementing it."

 

On Page 7 of its report to the Security Council, dated 24 February 2003, the Panel of Experts said:

 

"Ethiopia has played an overt military role in Somalia. Not only has Ethiopia been a major source of weapons for a number of Somali groups, Ethiopia has also invaded and occupied parts of Somalia. Ostensibly, and perhaps justifiably, the first direct military involvement of Ethiopia in Somalia, in 1996 and 1997, was in response to the activities of al-Ittihad al-Islami, including terrorist attacks (see paras. 94-96) in Ethiopia. Ethiopia's incursions crushed al-Ittihad's military capacity. Since then, however, the Government has used the threat of al-Ittihad as an excuse for Ethiopian involvement in Somali internal affairs."

 

Reporting a statement made by Meles Zenawi, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, when he was in Rome for the World Food Conference, the Arabic newspaper "Al'Khaleej" on Thursday, June 13, 2002, said:

"The Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi, said that the interference in Somalia of his country will continue until a government which controls the whole country is established."

 

Earlier, the Representative of Ethiopia at the United Nations was quoted by the Reuters New Agency on February 21, 2002, as saying:

"If the Somalis don't solve their problems then we will do it for them…We wont wait forever." "If we find a majority of players do not want to play the game, we will change the rules of the game."

 

It is my conviction that until the evil practice of interfering in the internal affairs of member states is firmly dealt with by our organization, Africa will never succeed preventing internal conflicts in the continent. In fact Somalia's crisis could have been solved long ago, if only Ethiopia would stop interfering in our affairs.

 

The African Union cannot expect its members to implement the policy of good governance, as required by the Nepad (New Economic Partnership for Africa's Development) if it ignores or closes its eyes; shuts its mouth and taps its ears from outside interference in the internal affairs of other countries.

 

Excellencies,

Distinguished delegates,

 

We are nearly at the end of the 10th Month now, since a Somali Reconciliation and Peace Conference sponsored by the regional organization IGAD started in Nairobi, Kenya, a conference which is meant to complete the Process which was successfully concluded at Arta, Djibouti, in 2000 and to reconcile between the TNG and the opposition groups.

However, due to interference from one of the members of the Frontline States entrusted by IGAD to play the role of peace-brokers, embarked on advancing its own political agenda aimed at creating discord rather than accord among the participants of the conference. I am referring to Ethiopia which, instead of playing the role of an honest-peace-broker, has become part of the problem.

 

As it is known, a Declaration on the Cessation of Hostilities has been signed at Eldoret, Kenya, on 27th October 2002, but before the ink with which it has been signed, dried up, the same Declaration has been violated by the Ethiopian supported factions with arms and ammunition supplied by the Addis Ababa regime. The same groups sabotaged the agreements of 2 and 4 December 2002 regarding the re-opening of the sea-port and airport of Mogadishu. The Government tried several times to open the sea-port and the airport of Mogadishu, but the efforts were sabotaged by the armed factions because of the fear that if the Government opened the national facilities they would lose the financial benefit they get from the open harbours and air strips they paved in some parts of the capital. For these factions to have a government capable of controlling the country see as a threat to their interest.

 

It is not just by coincidence that each time the Somalis came closer to reach an accord, the Ethiopian Delegate at the Technical Committee for the Peace and Reconciliation Conference, worked by all means to abort such an accord. It is the policy of Ethiopia that Somalis should never enjoy peace and stability and as a consequence there must never be a government of their own choice.

 

As this is the highest organ of our continent, on behalf of the Somali people and on my own behalf, I fervently appeal to Your Excellencies to call upon Ethiopia to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of Somalia and to fuelling new internal armed conflict as the people has already seen enough bloodshed. I wish to appeal to appoint a team investigate the activities of the ongoing conference in Nairobi which Ethiopia is using to rekindle the flames of discord among the participants with the aim of aborting the conference. We ask this August Summit to call upon the Ethiopian regime to respect the provisions of the Charter of the African Union and to respect the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of others, respect of our independence, territorial integrity, unity and sovereignty.

 

Excellencies,

 

One year has already passed since the inauguration in Durban, South Africa, of the African Union, and the transition from the OAU to AU, which we hope that it will advance and accelerate the progress of achieving what the founding fathers of our organization, dreamed of: The Union of our Continent.

 

Besides few of us here, the majority of our countries have achieved their independence in the 1960s and after four decades we should ask ourselves whether we have made the dreams of our citizens true and delivered the fruits of the freedom.

 

It is high time to show to our peoples in Africa that we can bring prosperity and democracy through prevention of internal conflicts. The Nepad can only work if we respect each others independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. As long as we tolerate interference in each others internal affairs, conflict will continue and our peoples will continue to suffer. Let's dedicate ourselves to peace and stability in the continent and embark on helping each other instead of fighting each other and engage ourselves in the economic and social development so that we can provide enough food for our starving masses and medicine for our sick people who are suffering or dying because of lack adequate treatment or even sometimes lack of attention.

Mr.Chairman,

Excellencies, Heads of State and Government,

Distinguished Delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I thank you for your kind attention.

 

______________________________________

 

Copyright@2003 Aayamaha press

[JUXAA]

We are not crying wolf [/QB]

 

That is what I was thinking you are Mr.Qassim.We blame Ethiopia for every thing that Somalis cannot agree on each other. Why make a big deal of number of Parliament while our country's being is at stake. Why make a big deal that Somalia adopts a federal state if that can heal our differences. Surely we are not the first and the last to go this way.

 

We put ourselves into this mess and only us can cut out if want and let us not blame others for our shortcomings. Surely, Ethiopia is our enemy and it will do everything to divide or at least side with one faction leader against another but at the end of the day it is for Somalis to comprehend that and be smarter

[FAISAL_YARE]

"BIS_MILAAHI_ RAHMANI_ RAHIIM"

I LIKE TO SAY TWO SHORT WORD AS SPEAKING OF ETHIOPIA IS ETHIOPIA OUR ENEMY OR FREIND WHO DO WE BLAME OUR PROBLEM,S SOMALLIA TODAY,,,?

 

 

ANSWER: ETHIOPIA I NOT OUR REALLY ENEMY OUR ENEMY IS OUR WARLORD THAT'S REALLY ENEMY ETHIOPIA SPEAKING OF THE TRUTH IS NUMBER ONE ENEMY BUT IF WE NOT OURSELFISH STEAM AND THOSE ****** SO CALLED SPECIALLY IGNORD WARLORD NO NAME'S BUT YOU KNOW WHAT AM TALKING ABOUT THEY'RE ONE WHO'S COUSE ALL THOSE PROBLEM I SHOULD SAID DONT BLAME OTHER BLAME URSELF,,,,,,,,,.....,,,,,,,,,

 

MAY ALLAH BRING FRESH_ MINE IT PEOPLE"

WHO REALLY KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR THE PEOPLE"

 

 

GOD~,~BLESS"

GREAT_ SOMALIA" :cool:

[Haashim]

I can't laugh because because i just had my launch however, he is more relistic than this one.

see bottom

[General Duke]

Are the Ethiopians richer than us? no

Are they naturlay more clever? No

Have they got a fine government ? No

 

I think Abdiqasin needs to share some blame, such as not overpowering or reconciling with warlords in his home town Mogadishu.

 

Ethiopia is a weak state, run by the Tigray, 5 million population and yesterdays refugees. We have nothing to fear from them if we settle our domestic problems.

 

Their vast armies are made up of conscripts mostly Oromo and Amhara, who hate the state government, they are currupt and economicaly weak. So what are we afraid of?

 

Ethiopia is no Isralel, see the palastinians have a real problem.

[A.J. Timacadeh]

snw, i gotta agree with you there. the ethiopians are not as powerfull as most of us fear. if we were united and organised they wouldnt be able set somali's up against eachother like they are doing now. it's our ****** warlords that get their support from ethiopia that make us look so vulnerable by the ethiopians.

[BN]

OG Girl,

The Transitional National Government(TNG) was formed in Arta, Djibouti in summer 2000 for a three year term(2003). The leader of the TNG also known as Arta group is AbdulQasim Salat Hassan. They are recognized by a few faction in Southern Somalia and control a sections of Mogadishu and surroundings. They are also taking part in the peace talks in Kenya. I hope that helps. And welcome to the Politics Section.

 

Your congratulations are a bit late--but I'm sure Mr. Hassan appreciates them You know what they say, Better late then never!

 

_______________________________________________________________________________

 

It seems as though the other Somali factions tried to block him from attending the AU conference--including his PM and Speaker of the Parliament.

 

http://www.allsomalianews.com/shirka_kenya/se_to_eu_120703.htm

[BN]

Kenya 'to reconcile' Ethiopia and Somalia

By Isaac Esipisu in Maputo

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka says Kenya will try to mediate between Ethiopia and Somalia after the latter accused Ethiopia of continuously interfering in its affairs.

 

In an interview in Maputo, Mozambique, the minister said Somalia and Ethiopia had earlier on, during the session, exchanged bitter words after the Somali Transitional National Government President, Dr Abdikassim Salad Hassan, read a statement at the assembly of the African Union (AU), accusing Ethiopia of having a negative stance to the peace process.

 

Kalonzo said Kenya would try and iron out the differences, adding that President Mwai Kibaki will mediate between the two countries to find a solution to their long -standing wrangles, which are a stumbling block to peace and stability in Somalia.

 

In the outburst that angered Ethiopia, Hassan said that Ethiopia's interference in Somali affairs was a violation of the arms embargo imposed by the UN Security Council on Somalia.

 

"I must admit that in the three years of its existence, the Transitional Government could have done more had it not been the continuous and daily interference of Ethiopia in our internal affairs," he said.

 

Hassan said he sent a goodwill delegation to Addis Ababa to persuade Ethiopia to help Somalia stand on its feet.

 

He said he had also travelled twice to Ethiopia with the same goodwill messages but nothing had changed on the ground.

 

He President accused Ethiopia of sponsoring the creation of a rag-tag opposition group in large part to undermine the TNG. He said that the rag-tag creature of Ethiopia was made up of factions hostile to TNG. He further stated that in a report by the UN Security Council in Somali, Ethiopia had been a major source of weapons to Somali.

 

On Ethiopia's military occupation, Hassan quoted the UN report saying, "Ethiopia has played an overt military role in Somalia, that its military presence in eastern Somalia is significant and that Ethiopia has also invaded and occupied parts of Somalia".

 

Copyright © 2002 . The Standard Ltd

http://www.eastandard.net/headlines/new13072003010.htm

[Dhimbil]

Mr. Hassan has given an excellent speech, very thorough. Worllords are not the problem, Ethiopia is. Worllords are just the sypmtoms, but the root cause is Ethiopia. The TNG have laid out their case very well with evidence. What else you want them to do? the president is powerless because Ethiopia is sabotaging every effort he makes.

 

Ethiopia alone was the government in Africa that categorically refused to accept, claiming that the process at Arta, Djibouti, which elected the government was not complete and inclusive.

the absence of some parts, made the conference of Arta, what our neighbours called "incomplete" and this year the absence is just "normal" because it suits its foreign policy of dividing Somalia into cantonments.

Meles Zenawi, is using all its influence in the IGAD Technical Committee to keep the Northern Region out the conference,

I don't know what to say...from the horse's mouth

 

the Arabic newspaper "Al'Khaleej" on Thursday, June 13, 2002, said:

"The Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi, said that the interference in Somalia of his country will continue until a government which controls the whole country is established."

Earlier, the Representative of Ethiopia at the United Nations was quoted by the Reuters New Agency on February 21, 2002, as saying:

"If the Somalis don't solve their problems then we will do it for them…We wont wait forever." "If we find a majority of players do not want to play the game, we will change the rules of the game."

Even the UN can't keep quite anymore..read on

 

On Page 7 of its report to the Security Council, dated 24 February 2003, the Panel of Experts said:

Ethiopia's incursions crushed al-Ittihad's military capacity. Since then, however, the Government has used the threat of al-Ittihad as an excuse for Ethiopian involvement in Somali internal affairs."

Ethiopia is to blame!

[LANDER]

Do these guys honestly ever stop complaining?

(TNG)

They blame just about everyone but themselves for their shortcomings.

[A.J. Timacaddeh]

lol@lander

 

the tng are a bunch of low-lifes and the southerners think that they can do something

[rudy-Diiriye]

great speech but really sad situation.xabashii is kicking our ass! ce how far we had fallen from grace. this is the ppl we use to whip. now they doing this to us! divided we fall united we stand tall ppl....! think about it..

[AYOUB]

Lander

Do these guys ever honestly ever stop complaining

The simple answer is no.

No one put it better than Ethiopia's envoy at the Somali 'peace talks' when he replied to similar statements by saying

'' These are accusations are baseless propagated by people who blame their differences, even with their wives, on Ethiopia''

They might not be baseless but he got a point.

[Gabbal]

A great speech in my humble opinion. The interference of Ethiopia in our country is an African problem. Dr. Abdiqaasim is indeed a very shrewd and clever man to make that the highlight main point of his speech. Considering how most of the African nations have had interference from outside, it would strike a nerve somewhere, right? Alienating Ethiopia in it's own neighborhood was a clever tactic indeed.

 

So clever, that several African heads of states have personally come up to Mwai Kibaki and told him to settle the "dispute" (they don't understand the historical significance of this "dispute"). Anyway Mwai Kibaki, through his forign minister, announced he was "going to settle the dispute". (you can find this somewhere in the news?

 

Some people never change. Sad really. A petty unrecognized enitity means more to them then the killing, maiming, torturing, horrific acts commited by a historical Christian enemy on our own Muslim Somali people.

 

If they (you know who you are) are that tragically selfish, then they (you know who you are) have no basis nor foundation for their accusations, grief, and suffering, in my humble opinion.

[Matkey]

Originally posted by illmatic:

Mr. Hassan has given an excellent speech, very thorough. Worllords are not the problem, Ethiopia is. Worllords are just the sypmtoms, but the root cause is Ethiopia. The TNG have laid out their case very well with evidence. What else you want them to do? the president is powerless because Ethiopia is sabotaging every effort he makes.

NEthiopia is to blame!

Not really. Somalis are responsible for its political stagnation.

 

"During my interviews in 1992-94, several elders in Baidoa have quoted Omar Jees, the leader of the SPM, which represents the ****** tribr clan of the ******, addressing his followers, after a brief occupation of Baidoa by the SPM: 'Dhul baan idiin qabaney hadii aad dhacasan waydaan waa idinka iyo nacasnimadina: he said. Which means: We have conquered a fertile land for you and your folly that could not keep it; Sheikh Eedin Alyow an elder in Buur Hakaba, portrayed the situation dramatically and convincingly"----Aral

 

Is Ethiopia responsible for what your people have done to inter-riverine region people?