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Pan-Somali
Council for Peace and Democracy (ISRAACA)
1201 Pennsylvania Ave, NW #300 PMP #49 Washington, DC 20004
Telephone: (202) 661-4653 Email: Webmaster@israaca.org
www.israaca.org
Press Release:
October
7, 2002. Washington, D.C.
The
Pan-Somali Council for Peace and Democracy (Israaca) is
one of the few organizations that exist to promote the revival
of the collapsed Somali polity¾ with a large pool
of global membership from all walks of life, including professionals
and intellectuals. Established in 1998, one of its primary
goals is to search for fair, peaceful, and negotiated ending
to the protracted Somali civil war. It also aims to promote,
through a conciliatory approach and the development of a
culture of peace, the preservation of Somali unity and sovereign
statehood. Israaca's long-term vision for Somalia envisages
a stable society characterized by good governance, coterminous
with the pluralistic Somali social structure, and an equitable
national sustainable development.
The
headquarters of the Pan-Somali Council for Peace and Democracy
(Israaca) is in Washington DC. However, it has individual
members and chapters in most of the major cities in the
US, Canada and Western Europe as well as many parts of Africa,
the Middle East and of course Somalia. For more information
on Israaca, please visit our website www.israaca.org.
The
Pan-Somali Council for peace and Democracy wishes to take
this opportunity to formally convey to IGAD member states,
and specifically the government and people of Kenya, our
profound appreciation for their sincere efforts to bring
about a comprehensive and lasting peace in Somalia. The
Council unequivocally supports the IGAD-sponsored reconciliation
conference, in the hope that it will lead to a sustainable
peace. Consequently, The Council would like to implore the
Somali people, wherever they are, to stand behind the Conference
and to contribute to it positively in order for peace to
prevail in Somalia.
Having
said that, however, The Council would like to bring to the
attention of the organizing committee the following procedural
and technical concerns on the process and the substance
of the conference:
1. The
Council holds that the process should be much more transparent
than it has, so far, been. The conference's scheduled date
is around the corner; but nothing has been communicated
to the Conference's putative participants with respect to
the agenda, format and other crucial parameters of the talks.
As a result, The Council urges the IGAD technical committee
to relay to the Somali people and the parties to the conflict
the terms of reference and the participation criteria of
the Conference. The Technical Committee should also clearly
define, ex ante, the roles of the respective participants
and that of IGAD, the international community as well as
Somali civil society groups.
2. The
Council strongly believes that this is a crucial conference
on whose outcome hinges the hopes of a battered nation and
the future of her reconciliation as well as the political
and social stability of the entire Horn of Africa. As such,
the Council strongly suggests that all requisite preparatory
groundwork for the conference be completed as much as possible
in the short time remaining. We also caution against deficiencies
that may be detrimental to the success of the conference.
In this regard, the Council hopes that the IGAD member states
will rise above the present bickering over national interests
and will, instead, embrace an all-encompassing approach
to ensuring a peaceful and stable future for Somalia and
the entire Horn region. To this end, the Council suggests
that the frontline states adopt a policy of impartiality
towards the various groups in order to facilitate a lasting
agreement.
3. The
Council urges the frontline states to unite behind one basic
framework for the conference. It suggests that a framework
built on the outcomes of the Arta Conference is not only
practical and timesaving, but also reflects a great deal
of pragmatism and consideration of the realities on the
ground, including the finite time, resources and patience
available for the process. Assuming that the leadership
of the TNG could be persuaded to agree, a priori, to comply
with the outcomes of the conference, which could include
its replacement with a new consensus regime, there is no
need to re-invent the wheel and squander the resources and
the goodwill invested in the Arta process.
4. In
the Council's view, Somalis must be allowed to participate
in the preparatory phase of the conference. There are many
non-partisan Somalis, both inside and outside of Somalia,
who genuinely advocate for lasting peace but have no desire
to run for positions in government. The involvement of such
individuals and groups in laying the groundwork for the
Conference is crucial. Direct engagement of neutral Somalis,
in the form of organized civil society groups, will give
ownership of the process to the Somali people.
5. In
light of renewed global interest in Somali reconciliation,
the Council suggests a more prominent role to be given to
international actors outside the IGAD region. In particular,
both the United States and the European Union have recently
evinced a keen interest in the upcoming round of talks.
Given the experience from previous processes, including
the Arta Conference, we believe the formal involvement of
the US and the EU will enhance the likelihood of any agreements
reached at the conference being implemented. Similarly,
on account of their historic and cultural ties with the
Somali nation, both the Arab League and the Organization
of Islamic States have legitimate roles to play in the conference.
As a result, the Council recommends that these two bodies
be involved¾ without, in any way, taking away from
IGAD's leadership in the process.
6. In
order to increase the odds of the Peace Conference succeeding,
the Pan-Somali Council for Peace and Democracy (Israaca)
further puts forward that every segment of the Somali population,
wishing to attend the Conference in good faith, should be
allowed to participate. The issue of representation lies
at the heart of the Somali reconciliation conundrum and
must be given due consideration prior to convening any plenary
meetings. This conference must avoid past mistakes of allowing
the armed groups to predominate the process at the expense
of other sectors of the Somali society, such as civil society
groups.
7. Before
the formal commencement of the conference, all participants,
including external parties, must agree on the ground rules
of the conference and all must pledge to honor and abide
by its outcome. Clear and enforceable sanctions that shall
be applied against non-compliers must be stipulated. For
instance, IGAD member states should give a firm undertaking
to deny entry to their countries those who fail to implement
the Conference's agreements.
8. The
Pan-Somali Council underlines the need not to reward violence
and the use of force for achieving political ends. Neither
should the common interest of the nation be allowed to be
subservient to personal agendas and group interests. Thus
the Council calls upon the international community to send
a strong message to that effect to the participants.
9. The
Council proposes that the conference should aim to establish
an enforceable framework for a broad-based transitional
government for all of Somalia. The Conference should also
seek to create an internationally financed Reconciliation
and Property Restitution Committee that works with, but
is independent of, the said transitional government to be
constituted in Nairobi.
10.
The Council urges the Technical Committee to put human rights
and environmental crimes on the agenda and to secure the
commitment of the various groups to account for abuses and
the destruction in their respective spheres of influence.
The Council, finally requests the UN, EU, AU and the Canadian
as well as the US governments to avail the funding and the
expertise necessary for the UN Special Rapporteur on the
Human Rights Situation in Somalia, Mr. Ghanim Al-Najjar,
to discharge his duties in investigating human rights atrocities,
war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Somalia
over the past two decades.
11.
Lastly, the discussions and proceedings of the conference
should be recorded, published and broadcast to the Somali
public who has every right to know how their destiny is
being shaped.
Board
of Directors
Pan- Somali Council for Peace and Democracy
Washington DC, USA
Contact info: Abukar Armam (Chair of Israaca)
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