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Somalia: Djibouti Talks Open Way for Reconciliation

By: Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis
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[ Posted On: 2008-06-04 ]

According to a report published earlier today by IRIN News, which quoted the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, "representatives of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and an Eritrea-based opposition alliance met in Djibouti for the second time in less than four weeks for peace talks, with the government and civil society expressing hope about the outcome".

This consists in the first piece of good news for Somalia in many years; Djibouti was the correct venue for Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and other representatives of the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia to discuss first with the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General, and at a later stage with Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG). As the report heralds an augur future for Somalia, I republish it integrally.

The path to Free Somalia and to Somali Constitutional Assembly elections in 2009 will be full of thorns and mines, but it is a honour for every part to be engaged in. As there are some opponents to the peace talks within the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia, it is essential to remind them that the principal adversary of the peace talks in reality is the Neo-Nazi 'Ethiopian' dictator Meles Zenawi, who precisely counts on the Islamist extremists' adamant opposition to the peace talks and on the Islamist extremists' inflexibility, in order to mendaciously portray Somalia as a nation of extremists and thus convince the international community about the 'need' for his Amhara and Tigray Neo-Nazi thugs (depicted as 'Ethiopian' national army) to further stay in Somalia.

To discredit the Neo-Nazi 'Ethiopian' dictator Meles Zenawi, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys will have to agree with the continuation of the peace talks and with the initiatives taken by Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, Chairman of the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia.

This is the time for many Somalis and many friends of Somalia to come up with suggestions about possible ways, steps and measures to take towards reconciliation, pacification and reunification in a New, Free, and Democratic Somalia.

I have gone through an interesting 18 points proposal that has been published a few days ago, on May 30, by an astute Somali commentator, Mr. Abdirashid Khalif Hashi (Eighteen -Point Reconciliation Proposal for Somalia - An Open Letter to the TFG / ARS / SRSG / Security Council & the Somali People). I believe it may be useful as source of inspiration, consideration, reflection and discussion; that's why I republish it integrally after the IRIN News report.

Somalia: Reconciliation talks move closer in Djibouti
(http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=78533)

Nairobi, 3 June 2008 (IRIN) - Representatives of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and an Eritrea-based opposition alliance met in Djibouti for the second time in less than four weeks for peace talks, with the government and civil society expressing hope about the outcome.

"I am optimistic that we will find a way to overcome our differences and find solutions," Ahmed Abdisalam, the deputy prime minister and leader of the government delegation, told IRIN on 3 June.

Abdisalam said the Somalis themselves were the only ones who could solve their problems, "so we need to sit down, talk about our differences and resolve them. The alternative is to give up and abdicate our responsibilities."

However, Dahir Mahamud Gelle, the spokesman for the opposition Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia, better known as "The Alliance", said his group had not yet held direct talks with the government and had, so far, been dealing with the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah.

"We have had a productive meeting with Ould-Abdallah and we are continuing with this," Gelle announced.

He said they were insisting that before direct talks between the sides could be held, "the international community must come up with a solution to the occupation of Ethiopian troops in our country."

The Alliance has repeatedly refused to open dialogue with the TFG until Ethiopian troops leave Somalia. However, in April, it agreed to dialogue through a third party "until an acceptable timetable is set for the departure of the Ethiopians".

Representatives of Somalia's civil society said they were hopeful that the presence of a visiting UN Security Council delegation in Djibouti would pressure the two sides to reach a compromise settlement.

"For this [dialogue] to succeed both sides need to show flexibility and compromise and think of the interests of the millions who are suffering," Abdullahi Shirwa of the Civil Society Forum told IRIN.

However, he expressed fear that divisions within both camps could derail the talks.

"The divisions on both sides are very worrying and could scuttle the process."

He said that Somali civil society groups in Djibouti had called on the international community to help the millions of people who were either displaced or affected by the drought in the country. "There is a need for a more robust humanitarian intervention in the country to avert a catastrophe," he added.

He said that in their meeting with the UN Security Council delegation, they made it clear that the Ethiopian troops should leave and be replaced by an international force.

"We are of the opinion that the presence of Ethiopian troops is one of the main contributing factors to the current crisis," Shirwa said.

He added that they were calling for the removal of all Ethiopian forces from civilian populated areas "even before an international force arrives".

The UN Security Council delegation, on a 10-day mission to Africa, met with Somali leaders in Djibouti after a briefing by Ould-Abdallah, who is chairing the talks between the TFG and the Alliance.

Djibouti is the first stop for the Security Council delegation, which is scheduled to visit Sudan, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Côte d'Ivoire.

The talks come at a time when an estimated 2.6 million Somalis need assistance. The figure is expected to reach 3.5 million by the end of the year if the humanitarian situation does not improve, according to the UN.

The fighting between Ethiopian-backed Somali forces and insurgents has forced up to one million Somalis to flee their homes, while an estimated 6,500 civilians have been killed since 2007.

Eighteen-Point Reconciliation Proposal for Somalia - An Open Letter to the TFG / ARS / SRSG / Security Council & the Somali People

by Abdirashid Khalif Hashi
http://www.hiiraan.com/op2/2008/may/eighteen_point_reconciliation_proposal_for_somalia.aspx

Preamble

The root causes of most of the Somalia problems, as well as the exacerbating factors of the current crises, have to do with the absence of peace among Somalis. Genuine political compromise is the only way out for Somalia. In order to halt the unfolding tragedy in Somalia, the following eighteen-point peace plan presents reasonable and practical reconciliation roadmap. This proposal takes into account not only the immediate political needs of the TFG and the Alliance but also the neglected "normalcy needs" of the Somali people.

I request the leadership of the TFG and the Alliance as well as the SRSG, the Members of the Security Council, the Somali people and the international community at large to consider this peace proposal. I encourage all Somalis to put forth their vision for Somalia

The Rationale

Whereas the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the Alliance of the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) are the two most organized and internationally (and nationally recognized) political actors in Somalia;

Noting that the TFG and the Alliance accepted to participate in the upcoming reconciliation talk to be help in Djibouti in the last week of May 2008 - organized by the United Nations;

Convinced that durable peace could only be attained in Somalia through a negotiated settlement that produces a win-win situation or at least an acceptable outcome for the TFG and the Alliance;

Cognizant that neither the TFG nor the Alliance (despite their rhetoric) has a clear mandate to govern from the Somali people and that the reason the two entities have their current dominant position in Somalia is due to their war-making capabilities;

Recalling that Somalia has had since 1991, a half a dozen interim and transitional governments who, at the end of their mandate, left a more muddy political scene;

Convinced that establishing, yet again, another prolonged transitional period for incompatible political actors, (i.e. the TFG and the Alliance) could be a recipe for unnecessary and avoidable political quagmire,

Underlining the fact that Somalia went through two-decades of turmoil and that it is a moral responsibility to address the root causes as well as the aggravating factors of the current crises;

The following eighteen-point peace plan is proposed. It attempts to address the needs of the current political actors but also tries to lay the foundation a new Somalia where the Somali people decide the future of their country.

The Plan:

- Stabilize the Situation & Let Somali People Decide Through Free & Fair Election

- There should be an immediate ceasefire throughout Somalia. The TFG and the Alliance should also commit themselves to a non-violent politics where all differences are solved through dialogue or the ballot box,

- It is clear to many that it will rather be difficult for the TFG and the Alliance to form a workable / coalition government where these archenemies govern side-by-side. The ongoing escalation of violence in Mogadishu attests to this sad reality. It is also a fact that the TFG and the Alliance are important political actors whose stabilization in the current political scene of Somalia is indispensable, since they are the most organized political actors in the country. Hence, there should be a compromise solution where the two sides could cooperate (and somewhat) share power in the remaining year and half of the TFG mandate. To overcome this challenge - that is, enabling irreconcilable camps to form a workable partnership):

- The TFG and the Alliance should co-select an independent / non-aligned / non-partisan Prime Minister and a lean cabinet. This will be a technocrat Caretaker Administration. The main responsibility of this caretaker government shall be to stabilize the situation, act as the executive organ of the state, represent Somalia in the international scene and work with the United Nations. The selection criteria for the cabinet members of the caretaker government shall be merit and not clan affiliation. The caretaker cabinet shouldn't be no more than eleven members including the Prime Minister and their mandate shall end by August 2009; furthermore they should not run for office in the election of 2009,

- The TFG and the Alliance shall jointly appoint interim judges of the Supreme Court. The term of this provisional Supreme Court shall end after a national election in 2009. This highly qualified neutral and agreed-upon High Court shall arbitrate all legal disputes between the government camps (the TFG and the Alliance),

- In order to end the current situation where everyone is at liberty to issue all sorts of fatwas, a national Mufti / religious leader or religious council shall be agreed by the TFG and the Alliance (as well as other concerned Somalis). The role of the national Mufti / religious Council shall be advancing the peace and to be the voice of Islam in Somalia - not the voice of one religious group – but that of the whole country,

- The TFG and the Alliance shall accept in principle the creation of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which shall commence its work right after the peace pact. This National Commission shall investigate all atrocities and human rights abuses that took place in Somalia and the Commission shall present its findings to the elected Parliament (in 2009 / 2010) who shall decide the next steps,

- There should be a UN managed national election in Somalia. This election should take place at the end of the mandate of the TFG (August 2009). The efforts of the international community should aim at facilitating a free and fair election in Somalia. Rewarding gun-totting men with national political power is what created much of the ongoing and prolonged mayhem in Somalia. Free and Fair election is the oft-ignored but easy and achievable solution for much of the Somalia crises,

- There should be a UN Peace Building Mission for Somalia and the international community shall organize a donor conference for Somalia. The UN Peace Building Mission should support the work of the Caretaker government (particularly the demobilizing and reintegration of militias) as well as recovery and reconstruction work of the subsequent elected government,

- All the TFG Members of Parliament whose membership was revoked should be reinstated including the former Speaker of the Parliament who should assume his post until the election of 2009;

- The Constitution of Somalia (adopted on July 1, 1960) shall be used until the Somali people elect their leaders and decide whether they want to keep using that Constitution or introduce another one. The Constitution of 1960 addresses the aspirations of democratically or Islamically inclined Somalis. Every Somali should read and re-read this neglected national treasure. http://www.benadir-watch.com/Constitution1960.pdf

- Until the national election, the TFG President should continue his post as the President of the Republic; he should exercise only the powers outlined in the 1960 Constitution;

- The seat of the TFG President and that of the Parliament should be in Baidoa; the Caretaker Council of Minister shall operate out of Mogadishu and may have secondary offices in Baidoa;

- Until the 2009 election, a governor appointed by the Alliance and agreed by the TFG should manage Mogadishu & its environs – under the authority of the Caretaker administration;

- The President, the Prime Minister and a Representative appointed by the Alliance shall form a National Leaders Forum where important political issues and new appointments are discussed and compromise is sought. Issues the Leaders Forum could not agree on maybe be referred to the Supreme Court – to mediate and if not successful to render its judgments which shall be final and binding;

- A 5000 strong International Stabilization Force, preferably from the Arab and Muslim states – under the auspices of the United Nations - should be deployed to Somalia. The International Stabilization Force shall work with and under the authority of the Caretaker Prime Minister and his Council of Ministers,

- Within four weeks of the signing of peace agreement between the TFG and the Alliance, all Ethiopian military and security personal must leave the Somali Republic. Somalis, particularly the Alliance and their associates must give the Ethiopians a safe passage and the international community must verify and guarantee the total withdrawal of the Ethiopian forces; Ethiopia should pledge not to reinvade Somalia, Somali parties must commit themselves to a non-aggression policy towards Ethiopia,

- During the four weeks that the International Stabilization Force are arriving in Somalia, the Ugandan and Burundi contingents may be deployed to Baidoa and Beli-dogle Airbase to safeguard the TFG President / Parliament, as soon as the International Stabilization Forces arrives, the Ugandan and Burundi contingents shall depart from Somalia;

- Both the Alliance and the TFG must demobilize all their militias; each group should transfer to the Caretaker government 3000 future soldiers / police officers;

- The retrained and amalgamated 6000-strong former TFG / Alliance security personnel / militia shall form as the national police / security forces and shall work under the authority of the Caretaker Government;

- Somali groups and individuals who are interested in political power particularly the TFG and Alliance members should renounce violence as a means to gain power and should join or form political parties;

- The TFG and the ARS shall denounce and oppose all forms of terrorism; the parties should also commit not to equate Islam and citizen's legitimate political positions with terrorism and the issues relating to terrorism shall be addressed by the elected Government that shall take power after the 2009 election;

- The TFG and the Alliance should accept the UN as the lead agency in the mediation / recovery / rebuilding efforts. The Security Council shall be the guarantor of this peace accord. The caretaker cabinet shall be designated as the Somali counterpart to the international community / UN / Security Council,

Article Source: http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard

About The Author: Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis - is Orientalist, Assyriologist, Egyptologist, Iranologist, Islamologist, Historian and Political Scientist. Dr. Megalommatis, 51, is the author of 12 books, dozens of scholarly articles, hundreds of encyclopedia entries, and thousands of articles. He speaks, reads and writes more than 15, modern and ancient, languages.

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