Jumatatu Posted August 2, 2005 Somali Prime Minister Ali M. Gedi Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi on Monday rejected a new action plan by the United Nations aimed at reconciling rival factions in the war-shattered Horn of Africa nation's transitional government. Gedi said the proposal, unveiled last week by Francois Fall, the UN special envoy to Somalia, is an imposed solution to a problem that can be dealt with by the government of a "sovereign country" without outside help. "It is ridiculous to bring another road map without consulting the government," Gedi said. "We will accept no dictation. "Our government has its own road map, strategy and programme. We need the international community, but we are a sovereign country." On Friday, Fall announced plans for a new UN "road map" to restore stability to Somalia, which has been without functioning central government for the past 14 years and remains in chaos despite the formation of Gedi's administration last year. Fall is due to deliver his plan to Gedi and transitional President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed later on Monday in Jowhar, where they have set up shop since returning home from exile in Kenya last month despite a fierce dispute over where the government should be based. Yusuf and Gedi say that for security reasons the government should be based in Jowhar, 90km north of Mogadishu, and Baidoa, 50km south-west of Mogadishu. But Baidoa is now in the hands of an anti-Yusuf warlord, and powerful militia commanders in the capital as well as elements of the transitional government, including parliamentary Speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden, insist the government base itself in Mogadishu. The bitter rift, which has prompted threats of renewed widespread conflict, has effectively stalled efforts to restore governance in Somalia. Fall's plan proposes Jowhar as the seat of the federal government, the formation of a national security council to oversee the drafting of a new ceasefire agreement, disarmament and the formation of the police and army. It also calls for a high-level meeting between the government, Parliament and the international community to strengthen the government and stabilise lawless Somalia. After meeting with Yusuf and Gedi in Jowhar, Fall is expected to travel to Mogadishu to present the plan to Aden, who has resisted calls to drop his insistence on the location of the government in the past. In addition to the anticipated reluctance of Aden and the Mogadishu warlords to accept Fall's proposal for the seat of the government, Gedi made it clear that the transitional Somali government has its own plans for security and policing. "We will re-establish our security forces, bring them together from all the country, shape them without clan or subclan considerations, in Mogadishu and the whole country," he said. Gedi also maintained that the disagreement within the government is not unusual and nothing that cannot be dealt with domestically. "There is no conflict in my government; there is only difference like anywhere in the world," he said. "My Cabinet has 45 ministers, only three don't agree and they are trying to sabotage the speaker and three ministers," Gedi said, adding that more than 90% of Mogadishu residents are supporting the government. --Sapa-AFP Source: Mail & Guardian Online, Aug 01, 2005 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
