Hargeysa - Waxa galabta qasriga Madaxtooyada JSL lagu qabtay xaflad balaadhan oo lagu saxeexayay Lixdii qodob ee beesha caalamku ku taliyeen ee khilaafkii taagnaa ee dalka soo afjaray.  
 | ||
30 September, 2009
SOMALILAND: SEDDEXDA GUDDOOMIYE XISBI OO BULSHADA CAALAMKA KU HOR SEXEEXAY HESHIISKII LIXDA QODOB
ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT HERALDS ‘NEW ERA OF ENGAGEMENT’ AS HIGH-LEVEL DEBATE WRAPS UP
ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT HERALDS 'NEW ERA OF ENGAGEMENT' AS HIGH-LEVEL DEBATE WRAPS UP
Wrapping up the General Assembly's annual high-level debate today, the 192-member body's President today welcomed the "new era of engagement" based on respect among Member States, underscoring that the vision of nations coming together to tackle common challenges is at the heart of the United Nations.
"I am heartened that inside this hall, as well as outside, in the various meetings and events on the sidelines, there was a renewed commitment to promoting effective and inclusive multilateralism," Ali Treki <"http://www.un.org/ga/64/generaldebate/pdf/pgaclose_en.pdf">said at the end of the six-day event.
This form of engagement, he said, will also entail "a more just and democratic world order with equal participation of sovereign Member States."
In particular, he voiced concern about whether the interests of developing nations are taken into account.
The high-level segment also featured calls by States for greater coherence and understanding among regional and political groupings, as well as appeals for dialogue among faiths and cultures, the President pointed out.
"The General Assembly is uniquely placed to synergize our efforts in that regard and to forge collective strategies for the common good," he said.
Small island nations spoke passionately about the threat to their survival posed by climate change, with Dr. Treki stressing that no country will be spared from its impact.
"Climate change is a growing global threat which will have consequences for the global economy, health and safety, food production, peace and security and the realization of the Millennium Development Goals [<"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/">MDGs]," eight anti-poverty targets with a 2015 deadline, he added.
Collective action is also needed to prevent conflicts and settle disputes, the Libyan official said, underscoring the need for successes in Africa, especially in the Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The situation in the Middle East is "unsustainable," he said. The efforts of United States President Barack Obama to achieve a lasting peace, Dr. Treki emphasized, will need the "full backing of the international community and a more effective role of the United Nations.
Multilateralism, he highlighted, is also essential to address the current financial turmoil which threatens sustainable development and has hit developing nations especially hard.
"I have noted your suggestions for strengthening the international economic system, including the Bretton Woods Institutions, with a view to making them more inclusive, transparent and democratic in their decision-making."
At the start of the annual high-level debate last week, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for the international community to be both united in purpose and in action since the world's most pressing problems can only be solved when countries unite through the UN.
"Now is our time. A time to put the 'united' back into the United Nations," Mr. Ban <"http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocus/sgspeeches/statments_full.asp?statID=587">emphasized.
Simultaneous crises on multiple fronts –food, energy, recession and pandemic flu – have shown the importance of renewed multilateralism, he said.
"The world looks to us for answers," the Secretary-General stressed, adding that the moment is now to "create a United Nations of genuine collective action."
Sep 29 2009 6:10PM
Wrapping up the General Assembly's annual high-level debate today, the 192-member body's President today welcomed the "new era of engagement" based on respect among Member States, underscoring that the vision of nations coming together to tackle common challenges is at the heart of the United Nations.
"I am heartened that inside this hall, as well as outside, in the various meetings and events on the sidelines, there was a renewed commitment to promoting effective and inclusive multilateralism," Ali Treki <"http://www.un.org/ga/64/generaldebate/pdf/pgaclose_en.pdf">said at the end of the six-day event.
This form of engagement, he said, will also entail "a more just and democratic world order with equal participation of sovereign Member States."
In particular, he voiced concern about whether the interests of developing nations are taken into account.
The high-level segment also featured calls by States for greater coherence and understanding among regional and political groupings, as well as appeals for dialogue among faiths and cultures, the President pointed out.
"The General Assembly is uniquely placed to synergize our efforts in that regard and to forge collective strategies for the common good," he said.
Small island nations spoke passionately about the threat to their survival posed by climate change, with Dr. Treki stressing that no country will be spared from its impact.
"Climate change is a growing global threat which will have consequences for the global economy, health and safety, food production, peace and security and the realization of the Millennium Development Goals [<"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/">MDGs]," eight anti-poverty targets with a 2015 deadline, he added.
Collective action is also needed to prevent conflicts and settle disputes, the Libyan official said, underscoring the need for successes in Africa, especially in the Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The situation in the Middle East is "unsustainable," he said. The efforts of United States President Barack Obama to achieve a lasting peace, Dr. Treki emphasized, will need the "full backing of the international community and a more effective role of the United Nations.
Multilateralism, he highlighted, is also essential to address the current financial turmoil which threatens sustainable development and has hit developing nations especially hard.
"I have noted your suggestions for strengthening the international economic system, including the Bretton Woods Institutions, with a view to making them more inclusive, transparent and democratic in their decision-making."
At the start of the annual high-level debate last week, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for the international community to be both united in purpose and in action since the world's most pressing problems can only be solved when countries unite through the UN.
"Now is our time. A time to put the 'united' back into the United Nations," Mr. Ban <"http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocus/sgspeeches/statments_full.asp?statID=587">emphasized.
Simultaneous crises on multiple fronts –food, energy, recession and pandemic flu – have shown the importance of renewed multilateralism, he said.
"The world looks to us for answers," the Secretary-General stressed, adding that the moment is now to "create a United Nations of genuine collective action."
Sep 29 2009 6:10PM
ANTI-PIRACY MEASURES MUST START WITH HELPING SOMALIA STABILIZE, UN HEARS
ANTI-PIRACY MEASURES MUST START WITH HELPING SOMALIA STABILIZE, UN HEARS
Strengthening the rule of law is the critical factor to effectively tackling piracy in the Indian Ocean, Seychelles told the General Assembly today, saying the world's countries have a shared responsibility to deal with the problem.
Ronald Jumeau, Permanent Representative of Seychelles, told the final day of the Assembly's annual high-level segment that his country was pleased that many States were becoming increasingly engaged in efforts to deal with piracy in the region.
He stressed that the "root cause of the problem lies within Somalia; the long-term solution lies in strengthening the rule of law within Somalia."
Mr. Jumeau said it was important to take steps to ensure that piracy is not an economically viable activity, starting with enhancing coordination and information-sharing among the States of the region.
"We must share information to ensure we are always ahead of the pirates by keeping vessels beyond their reach," he said.
"We must ensure there is enough deterrence in terms of military assets in the region. Seychelles alone has an exclusive economic zone of 1.4 million square kilometres to patrol and protect, something we would not be able to do effectively without the help of friendly countries."
In his address to the Assembly today, Grenada's Foreign Minister Peter David highlighted the need to protect the waters of the Caribbean Sea from the transport of waste materials. He called for the General Assembly to strengthen the resolution on the issue.
"The States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and other members of the Association of Caribbean States depend on the tremendous benefits from the pristine waters of the Caribbean Sea," Mr. David said.
"Yet these ocean-based resources are threatened by the trans-shipment of nuclear and other hazardous waste materials through our waters."
Sep 29 2009 8:10PM
Madaxtooyada Somaliland oo Galabta lagu saxeexay Lixdii Qodob ee soo afjaray Khilaafka, Daawo.
Madaxtooyada Somaliland oo Galabta lagu saxeexay Lixdii Qodob ee soo afjaray Khilaafka, Daawo.
Hargeysa (Qarannews)- Waxa galabta qasriga Madaxtooyada JSL lagu qabtay xaflad balaadhan oo lagu saxeexayay Lixdii qodob ee beesha caalamku ku taliyeen ee khilaafkii taagnaa ee dalka soo afjaray.
Waxa saxeexay lixda Qodob Gudoomiyayaasha saddexda xisbi Qaran, Dawlada Itoobiya iyo Deeqbixiyayaasha, ugu horeyn waxa saxeexay Madaxweynaha JSL Mudane Daahir Rayaale Kaahin, ahna Gudoomiyaha Xisbiga UDUB, Gudoomiyaha Xisbiga KULMIYE Mudane Axmed Maxamed Maxamuud Siilaanyo iyo Gudoomiyaha Xisbiga UCID Eng Faysal Cali Waraabe, waxana goob joog ka ahaa Shirgudoonada Golaha Guurtida iyo Wakiilada, Deeqbixiyayaasha oo uu wakiil ka ahaa John Marshal oo ka socda safaaradda Ingiriiska ee Addis iyo wakiilka Dawlada Itoobiya.
|
In Brief: Capitalize on rains, Somaliland urged
In Brief: Capitalize on rains, Somaliland urged
HARGEISA, 30 September 2009 (IRIN) - After predictions by meteorologists that the region was likely to receive substantial rain between October and December, officials in Somalia's secessionist region of Somaliland have urged farmers and pastoralists to prepare to make maximum use of the rains.
The meteorological department has forecast that most of Somaliland will experience "near normal" to "above normal" rains in the coming Deyr (short rains) season.
"The oncoming rains will come as a relief and an indication of an end to drought in the affected areas," according to a climate outlook report by Somalia's Water and Land Information Management [http://www.faoswalim.org/] (SWALIM). "The expected rainfall, with timely onset over most agricultural areas of the country, would be adequate for good crop performance. Farmers can also expect an extended length of the growing period."
Ahmed Qofal Jama, the Adadlay district representative of the ministry of agriculture, said: "Whenever heavy rains are received in southeast Asia and India, the rains cross the Indian Ocean to the Horn of Africa and we therefore expect good rains, which are handy after the poor performance of the last several rainy seasons that caused serious livelihood crises to both pastoralists and agro-pastoralists. We are encouraging farmers to make full use of the expected rains."
maj/js/mw
HARGEISA, 30 September 2009 (IRIN) - After predictions by meteorologists that the region was likely to receive substantial rain between October and December, officials in Somalia's secessionist region of Somaliland have urged farmers and pastoralists to prepare to make maximum use of the rains.
The meteorological department has forecast that most of Somaliland will experience "near normal" to "above normal" rains in the coming Deyr (short rains) season.
"The oncoming rains will come as a relief and an indication of an end to drought in the affected areas," according to a climate outlook report by Somalia's Water and Land Information Management [http://www.faoswalim.org/] (SWALIM). "The expected rainfall, with timely onset over most agricultural areas of the country, would be adequate for good crop performance. Farmers can also expect an extended length of the growing period."
Ahmed Qofal Jama, the Adadlay district representative of the ministry of agriculture, said: "Whenever heavy rains are received in southeast Asia and India, the rains cross the Indian Ocean to the Horn of Africa and we therefore expect good rains, which are handy after the poor performance of the last several rainy seasons that caused serious livelihood crises to both pastoralists and agro-pastoralists. We are encouraging farmers to make full use of the expected rains."
maj/js/mw
UN REVIEWS EFFORTS TO KEEP NUCLEAR WEAPONS OUT OF TERRORISTS’ HANDS
UN REVIEWS EFFORTS TO KEEP NUCLEAR WEAPONS OUT OF TERRORISTS' HANDS
A three-day comprehensive review of United Nations efforts to prevent nuclear, biological, chemical and other weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) from falling into the hands of terrorists and other so-called non-State actors opens in New York tomorrow.
At least 35 nations and 19 organizations will participate in the meetings convened by the Security Council's <"http://www.un.org/sc/1540/">1540 Committee, named after the 2004 resolution which calls on all States to take every necessary domestic, legal and other step to prevent the diversion of WMDs or materials that could facilitate their development and means of delivery.
"The review in general is a process to assess the evolution of risks and threats, to address specific critical issues and to identify possible new approaches for the implementation of the resolution," Committee Chairman and Ambassador of Costa Rica Jorge Urbina told a news briefing today.
Nations and organizations will share their experiences and express their views and a final document on the issues is scheduled to be issued by 31 January, although Mr. Urbina said he hoped to have it ready before the end of this year.
The Committee does not act as an international policing body to go after those who buy or sell WMDs or their materials, but rather deals with the legal framework such as legislation and export and customs controls that member countries can use to help stop WMD proliferation to non-State actors.
Among the challenges it faces are the lack of capacity in many countries and the building of cooperative relationships with regional organizations.
Sep 29 2009 7:10PM
________________
GAO: Saudi individuals, groups backing extremists and terrorists.
GAO: Saudi individuals, groups backing extremists and terrorists.
RICHARD LARDNER
AP News
Shortcomings in enforcement are allowing Saudi individuals and charitable organizations to steer financial support to Islamic extremists in Afghanistan and elsewhere, congressional investigators say.
Working with the United States, the government of Saudi Arabia has made progress in stemming the flow of money to al-Qaida and other groups within the country, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office released Tuesday. But there's been less headway in blocking Saudi bankrolling of terrorism and extremism beyond its borders, the report says.
There is no indication the Saudi government is providing funding for terrorism, investigators say.
Citing Treasury Department officials, investigators found that Saudi-based individuals are "a top source of funding for al-Qaida and associated terror groups, such as the Taliban." No estimated amounts of these contributions are provided.
Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, has said the Taliban militants are receiving more money from Persian Gulf donors than from Afghanistan's illegal drug trade.
Key Saudi enforcement agencies, especially the departments responsible for financial regulations, need more training and technical assistance to expand their capacity, the GAO says.
Another problem is the increasing use of couriers to carry cash across the border. This low-tech approach is an apparent response to Saudi Arabia's adoption of stricter rules on formal financial transactions.
The GAO report also says a program operated by the Saudi government to rehabilitate terrorism supporters looks promising, but more time is needed to know how successful it is.
The program is intended to reintegrate into society Saudis who have been arrested for supporting terrorism or extremism. More than 4,300 people have received psychological therapy and religious re-education through the initiative. The effort began in Saudi prisons in 2004, and in 2007 it was extended to halfway houses, called aftercare centers.
One aftercare center in Riyadh visited by GAO investigators had treated 250 people. As of March 2009, the unit had a recidivism rate of 20 percent. Most of those who had returned to supporting terrorism or extremism were former Guantanamo detainees, the Saudis told the GAO.
Despite the results at this one location, U.S. and Saudi officials say the program has produced positive overall results. But they also cautioned that recidivism rates for criminology programs are generally measured at five-year intervals and the Saudi program had been under way at aftercare centers for only two years.
U.S. officials have been pressing for nearly 100 detainees at Guantanamo from Yemen, which borders Saudi Arabia, to go through the Saudi rehabilitation. The effort has stalled, however.
SOMALIA: Insecurity "no excuse" to neglect IDPs
SOMALIA: Insecurity "no excuse" to neglect IDPs
NAIROBI, 30 September 2009 (IRIN) - Aid agencies should use "traditional structures" to reach long-neglected internally displaced people (IDPs) living in conflict-prone areas around the capital, Mogadishu, civil society officials say.
"Most of the IDP populations across the country live in appalling conditions, but the worst are those living around Mogadishu," Abdullahi Shirwa, of Civil Society in Action, an umbrella organization, told IRIN.
The needs of hundreds of thousands of IDPs across the country were not being met, Shirwa said, adding that IDPs around Mogadishu had the added problem of "total lack of security, and very little access to help".
He said the security issue had been used by agencies as the main reason for "little or no assistance to the IDPs. Unfortunately, insecurity has become a way of life in the country and can no longer be used as an excuse not to help people in desperate need."
Shirwa said there were traditional structures that can help in delivering aid to the displaced. "They can make use of elders, women's groups and religious leaders - but they don't."
He said more needed to be done to reach the displaced. "In my opinion, fewer than 20 percent of IDPs' needs are being met at the moment."
Abject misery
The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, estimates there are 896,000 IDPs in the Mogadishu-Afgoye corridor.
Roberta Russo, spokeswoman for UNHCR Somalia, told IRIN on 30 September "the needs of the people are not adequately addressed and a lot more should be done to assist the growing number of displaced.
"The main problem of humanitarian agencies is the lack of access to the needy population, due to the highly insecure environment."
Asha Sha'ur, a senior member of civil society, told IRIN many of the IDPs lived in overcrowded camps, where most of the shelters were built from twigs, recycled cardboard and old clothes.
"The lucky ones may get a plastic sheeting to cover it", despite the fact that some of the IDPs pay rent to the owners of the land, she said.
Sha'ur, who visited the camps on 28 September, said: "These people are living in the most miserable conditions. It is heart-breaking. I honestly don't know how else to describe it."
She said the displaced had no access to clean water and sanitation conditions were bad. "Thousands of families are left with no latrines."
She said the displaced were getting a "fraction of what they need. This is intolerable."
"No more excuses"
Humanitarian agencies have to find creative ways of reaching the needy, Sha'ur said, adding: "I don't think they can hide behind insecurity any longer."
Ali Sheikh Yassin, deputy chairman of the Mogadishu-based Elman Human Rights Organization (EHRO), told IRIN more people were likely to be displaced in the coming weeks and months.
"Already we are getting reports that people are leaving Kismayo due to fears of violence and will add to the number of displaced."
Many of the displaced lack protection and, in some cases, had been subjected to sexual violence.
"There is some sort of protection in populated areas but when they go out of the camps to collect firewood or grass to sell, there is no protection," Yassin said, adding that agencies must pressure those who control areas to provide "not only access but protection for the displaced. This means they have to deal with people they may not want to deal with," he said. "The alternative is to let people die."
Khadija Farah, a 40-year-old mother of six, has been an IDP in the Arbiska area, 20km south of Mogadishu, since 2007. She told IRIN that life in the camps was becoming even more difficult. Her family used to get 75kg of sorghum, 10kg of beans, 10kg of porridge and 3l of cooking oil for a month.
"Since June, we are getting half of that. It was nowhere near enough before and now it is even worse."
Farah said their home was a shack made out of cardboard and plastic. "We are alive but that is all."
ah/mw[END]
NAIROBI, 30 September 2009 (IRIN) - Aid agencies should use "traditional structures" to reach long-neglected internally displaced people (IDPs) living in conflict-prone areas around the capital, Mogadishu, civil society officials say.
"Most of the IDP populations across the country live in appalling conditions, but the worst are those living around Mogadishu," Abdullahi Shirwa, of Civil Society in Action, an umbrella organization, told IRIN.
The needs of hundreds of thousands of IDPs across the country were not being met, Shirwa said, adding that IDPs around Mogadishu had the added problem of "total lack of security, and very little access to help".
He said the security issue had been used by agencies as the main reason for "little or no assistance to the IDPs. Unfortunately, insecurity has become a way of life in the country and can no longer be used as an excuse not to help people in desperate need."
Shirwa said there were traditional structures that can help in delivering aid to the displaced. "They can make use of elders, women's groups and religious leaders - but they don't."
He said more needed to be done to reach the displaced. "In my opinion, fewer than 20 percent of IDPs' needs are being met at the moment."
Abject misery
The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, estimates there are 896,000 IDPs in the Mogadishu-Afgoye corridor.
Roberta Russo, spokeswoman for UNHCR Somalia, told IRIN on 30 September "the needs of the people are not adequately addressed and a lot more should be done to assist the growing number of displaced.
"The main problem of humanitarian agencies is the lack of access to the needy population, due to the highly insecure environment."
Asha Sha'ur, a senior member of civil society, told IRIN many of the IDPs lived in overcrowded camps, where most of the shelters were built from twigs, recycled cardboard and old clothes.
"The lucky ones may get a plastic sheeting to cover it", despite the fact that some of the IDPs pay rent to the owners of the land, she said.
Sha'ur, who visited the camps on 28 September, said: "These people are living in the most miserable conditions. It is heart-breaking. I honestly don't know how else to describe it."
She said the displaced had no access to clean water and sanitation conditions were bad. "Thousands of families are left with no latrines."
She said the displaced were getting a "fraction of what they need. This is intolerable."
"No more excuses"
Humanitarian agencies have to find creative ways of reaching the needy, Sha'ur said, adding: "I don't think they can hide behind insecurity any longer."
Ali Sheikh Yassin, deputy chairman of the Mogadishu-based Elman Human Rights Organization (EHRO), told IRIN more people were likely to be displaced in the coming weeks and months.
"Already we are getting reports that people are leaving Kismayo due to fears of violence and will add to the number of displaced."
Many of the displaced lack protection and, in some cases, had been subjected to sexual violence.
"There is some sort of protection in populated areas but when they go out of the camps to collect firewood or grass to sell, there is no protection," Yassin said, adding that agencies must pressure those who control areas to provide "not only access but protection for the displaced. This means they have to deal with people they may not want to deal with," he said. "The alternative is to let people die."
Khadija Farah, a 40-year-old mother of six, has been an IDP in the Arbiska area, 20km south of Mogadishu, since 2007. She told IRIN that life in the camps was becoming even more difficult. Her family used to get 75kg of sorghum, 10kg of beans, 10kg of porridge and 3l of cooking oil for a month.
"Since June, we are getting half of that. It was nowhere near enough before and now it is even worse."
Farah said their home was a shack made out of cardboard and plastic. "We are alive but that is all."
ah/mw[END]
IRAN’S NEW URANIUM PLANT VIOLATED UN RESOLUTIONS, BAN SAYS
IRAN'S NEW URANIUM PLANT VIOLATED UN RESOLUTIONS, BAN SAYS
A newly revealed Iranian uranium enrichment facility violates United Nations Security Council resolutions because of the delay in its disclosure, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.
"This is a question of when you should inform your intention or the existence of such facilities, or a plan to be transparent and credible – when you have such intent to build these facilities," he told a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/offthecuff.asp?nid=1327">news conference at UN Headquarters, adding that he had made this clear to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad when he met with him in New York last week.
The UN International Atomic Energy Agency (<"http://www.iaea.org/">IAEA) confirmed last week that on 21 September Iran informed it in a letter that a new pilot fuel enrichment plant is under construction in the country.
"They should have informed, notified the IAEA a long time before. Not just before everything would be completed," he added. "What has happened before 21 September, while this facility was being constructed? Therefore, there's clearly a question of transparency."
Mr. Ban said Mr. Ahmadinejad told him he would be ready to accept IAEA inspections, and he later met with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on the nuclear issue as well as that of promoting human rights.
As Iran prepares to meet with Western powers in Geneva on Thursday over its nuclear programme, which it says is for the peaceful production of nuclear energy but which the United States and others say is aimed at producing nuclear weapons, Mr. Ban repeated his oft-stated argument that the onus is on Tehran to prove its case.
"I made it quite clear that when they argue that their nuclear facilities are genuinely for peaceful purposes, the burden of proof is on their side," he said. "I urged him [Mr. Ahmadinejad] to open the country's new structure to prompt and full inspection, and to engage constructively in negotiations."
Turning to Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Mr. Ban said he had stressed to Vice Foreign Minister Pak Kil Yon the importance of returning to the Six-Party Talks bringing together the DPRK, the Republic of Korea, Japan, China, Russia and the US in an effort to resolve the issue of Pyongyang's nuclear programme.
In June, the Security Council unanimously condemned the DPRK's 25 May nuclear test conducted in "violation and flagrant disregard" of relevant Council resolutions.
Mr. Ban said he thought DPRK showed a positive attitude towards his proposal to open a communication channel between it and the UN, and he assured Mr. Pak that the world body would continue to provide aid to address all the humanitarian difficulties, particularly the food security issue.
Sep 29 2009 5:10PM
________________
A newly revealed Iranian uranium enrichment facility violates United Nations Security Council resolutions because of the delay in its disclosure, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.
"This is a question of when you should inform your intention or the existence of such facilities, or a plan to be transparent and credible – when you have such intent to build these facilities," he told a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/offthecuff.asp?nid=1327">news conference at UN Headquarters, adding that he had made this clear to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad when he met with him in New York last week.
The UN International Atomic Energy Agency (<"http://www.iaea.org/">IAEA) confirmed last week that on 21 September Iran informed it in a letter that a new pilot fuel enrichment plant is under construction in the country.
"They should have informed, notified the IAEA a long time before. Not just before everything would be completed," he added. "What has happened before 21 September, while this facility was being constructed? Therefore, there's clearly a question of transparency."
Mr. Ban said Mr. Ahmadinejad told him he would be ready to accept IAEA inspections, and he later met with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on the nuclear issue as well as that of promoting human rights.
As Iran prepares to meet with Western powers in Geneva on Thursday over its nuclear programme, which it says is for the peaceful production of nuclear energy but which the United States and others say is aimed at producing nuclear weapons, Mr. Ban repeated his oft-stated argument that the onus is on Tehran to prove its case.
"I made it quite clear that when they argue that their nuclear facilities are genuinely for peaceful purposes, the burden of proof is on their side," he said. "I urged him [Mr. Ahmadinejad] to open the country's new structure to prompt and full inspection, and to engage constructively in negotiations."
Turning to Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Mr. Ban said he had stressed to Vice Foreign Minister Pak Kil Yon the importance of returning to the Six-Party Talks bringing together the DPRK, the Republic of Korea, Japan, China, Russia and the US in an effort to resolve the issue of Pyongyang's nuclear programme.
In June, the Security Council unanimously condemned the DPRK's 25 May nuclear test conducted in "violation and flagrant disregard" of relevant Council resolutions.
Mr. Ban said he thought DPRK showed a positive attitude towards his proposal to open a communication channel between it and the UN, and he assured Mr. Pak that the world body would continue to provide aid to address all the humanitarian difficulties, particularly the food security issue.
Sep 29 2009 5:10PM
________________
What they Said
The voice of the people has been said to be the voice of God; and, however generally this maxim has been quoted and believed, it is not true to fact. The people are turbulent and changing, they seldom judge or determine right.
Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804)
Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804)
The failure of the international community and the resilience of a people
Somalia is officially classified as a failed state where warlords, Islamic extremists, suicide bombings, piracy, secessionists, poverty and anarchy prevail and are the norms of every day life. Believe it or not the Somali question remains one of the most difficult, unabated and unresolved conflicts in modern times while other major post-cold war conflicts in Europe and Africa have been resolved. In case you have forgotten, the unbearable roar of guns and bombs explosions in former-Yugoslavia that we used to see and hear through our TV screens, seem to have been silenced by, among other things, a massive military intervention supported by a long term political commitment and diplomacy as is the case in the Balkan, or through a peace keeping mission initiated by an individual country like the UK experiment in Sierra Leon where British forces have helped end a long civil war. Even other hotspots, Iraq and Afghanistan, which one can called as the 9/11 conflicts, the international community (Western powers), although they might have to stay there for a long time before realising their objectives, have installed functioning governments in those countries and have enabled them to hold "democratic" elections although imperfect and flawed. With regard to the Somali conflict, the international community seems ambivalent and divided as ever between those who have given up on Somalia, blaming Somalis for the failure! And those who are willing to help but end up taking the wrong decision, thus worsening the situation, as was the case when Ethiopia was allowed to invade and occupy Somalia. However, to be fair on history, the international community did try to help end the conflict when in 1992 the United Nations Security Council authorised the deployment of peace keeping forces (the UNISOM). Though huge resources were allocated, the mission failed for the lack of a long political commitment and plan. The death of few American soldiers was enough to force the American administration to withdraw its forces. Compare that failure of policy with another post-cold conflict namely former Yugoslavia (Balkan conflict) and you will see how these conflicts were treated differently which led to different outcomes! One was given a long term political commitment with massive military intervention while the other was left to crumble on its feet. Put it bluntly, the international community has failed Somalia. However, despite the negligence and indifference by the international community, lack of normal and formal state structure, and despite human suffering and economic costs of the conflict, Somalis have proven to be resilient, entrepreneurial, creative, hardworking and ingenious, and have accomplished some remarkable and great things against the odds. In fact Somalis have done well in some development sectors and are well ahead of those "stable" neighbouring states, including Kenya and Ethiopia. Let us tell this untold story. Powerful autonomous regional administrations Despite the threat of dismemberment, and an uncertain future, Somalis have succeeded in creating some administrations e.g. Puntland, Somaliland, TFG etc. And some of them have good functioning public institutions, which provide diverse and varied levels of peace and security and some kind of basic social services. What Somalis have got now is strong and assertive regional administrations, under which they are exercising some kind of self-rule. Somalis are now more or less autonomous and independent from a centralised government or structure, which has arguably caused the failure of the state, and which Somalis have fought against it. It is really sad that it took 30-40 years and a lot of suffering before cities such as Baydhabo, Garawe and Hargeysa could try to taste regional autonomy and asserts their freedom from Mogadishu. Also one wonders whether some of these entities with a secession tendency are not really seeking total independence but merely are craving for, and expressing the desire for legitimate greater freedoms and autonomy, which have been denied by previous governments, particularly during the dictatorship in which the famous Villa Somalia was the power-house. Somalis have now an emerging weaker federal structure embodied in the TFG, which could be utilised as a blue print for a looser federal structure. So what Somalis need right now is a negotiated federal structure that will hopefully lead to the rebirth of a stronger Somali state. Good primary education enrolment At the independence, Somalis had a Grade 1 primary enrolment of only 6,000 in 233 primary schools. During the 1960s the education system stagnated and this caused a decrease in primary education enrolment. This situation got better in early 1970s because of the successful literacy campaign, compulsory primary enrolment, and the adoption of the script of the Somali language. However, the education system deteriorated in 1977-78 due to, among other things, the Ogaden war. And a year before the collapse the central government the primary and secondary school enrolment dropped to 60,000 from 300,000 in the early years of 1980s. Although Somalis have lost two generations who are without or with little education due to state failures in 1980s and the civil strife in 1990s, and this loss of human capital will negatively impact on future human development in the country, despite the fact that Somalis lag behind most countries in terms of primary education enrolment, they have however succeeded in creating and restoring old and new educational institutions and facilities, which now provide essential education services. For example, the primary education enrolment though diverge and fluctuates between administration, has improved, and in 2003-04 enrolment shoot up to 300,000, a figure that is much higher than what it was few years prior the civil war. In addition, there are some secondary, vocational institutes, and adult education colleges, where students learn different subjects. Before the civil war, higher education was more or less bankrupt (1980s), and its institutions, for instance the Somali National University, were bankrolled by donor countries. However, during the civil strive with their hard work and resilience Somalis have successfully created new institutions from scratch. For example, it is worth mentioning the success story of creating the Amoud University in which Borama residents, faced with 8,000 primary and secondary students, transformed the residential Amoud Higher School to a university. So if yesterday Somalis were proud of the Somali National University – the only and dominant institution - to serve the country today there are up to 10 universities in the country, including among others Hargeysa University, Mogadishu University, Puntland State University, and three of them are in Africa's top 100 universities. Although the ownership, management and financing of educational institutions vary from public-community-NGO to private sector, despite the fact that some of these institutions are rudimentary and operate through varied and different curriculum and standards, although accessibility is limited due to issues around affordability, it must be recognised that these institutions provide much needed education services to Somalis. And therefore Somalis should be commended for their hard work and tireless efforts. A vibrant private sector Telecommunication: Access to telecommunication before the civil strife was very expensive and not accessible to most Somalis. Telephone lines were limited to cities and to those lucky ones who could offer it. For example, in 1990 there were about 2 fixed telephone mainlines per 1,000 people. However, thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit of Somalis and to new technologies today there are about 9 private operators that provide competitive telecommunication services to almost every province and to even towns and village, which did not have access to telephone prior the war. Today, there are around 25 mainlines per 1,000 persons, and availability of telephone lines (tele-density) in Somalia is higher than in neighbouring countries, three time higher than in Ethiopia. Access to international telephone calls is probably the most affordable and cheapest in whole of Africa. For example, in 2005 one minute phone-call from Mogadishu or Hargeysa cost $0.50-0.80, as the rate of one minute international phone call from a small town or a village in Somalia was cheaper than of that in Addis Ababa! In 2003, there were 63 mobile phones per 1,000 people and there are internet facilities. Although in need of regulatory and structural framework, the sector provides much needed services, which improve the lives of thousands in terms of, among other things, job creation and income generation etc. Small scale industries: Just few years before the civil war, the 53 or so state-owned large-medium and small manufacturing enterprises, like many public institutions, were breaking down and bankrupt. Then the civil war destroyed the rest, almost all infrastructure were looted. However thanks to investment by the Diaspora, the remittance sector, and some intervention by the international community Somalis have managed to re-start some old small scale plants, as they have created new ones. These include fish canning and meat processing plants in the north, some 25 factories in Mogadishu, which produce pasta, mineral water, sweets, plastic bags and sheets, hides and skins, detergent and soap, aluminium, foam mattresses and pillows, fishing boats, packaging, and stone processing etc. The airline industry: Again thanks to their entrepreneurial spirit and lack of strict regulatory frameworks, there are up to 14 private companies (e.g. Daallo) which run commercial flights from Somalia to abroad. These companies offer competitive flight tickets. These carriers have been a life-line to Somalis' booming trade, as they have been a helping hand in the delivery of crucial humanitarian assistance by the international community. So if yesterday Somalis were proud of the now bankrupt and defunct Somali Airline – the only national carrier that dominated the sky – today Somalis have successfully created private airlines companies that connect Somalis to the outside world. Road Infrastructure: in late 1970s there were 19,380 kilometres of road infrastructure which include all categories from paved, gravel, to tarmac. Despite the fact that these roads have been badly deteriorating in some parts of the country and in need of maintenance, the percentage of roads that have been paved and maintained by Somalis during the civil war period is the same as of that of Kenya and Ethiopia, and much higher than in Tanzania. Remittance fuels booming trade: Some 750,000 Somalis in the Diaspora sent US$825 million to $1billion in 2004 to Somalia. This is estimated to be around 60 percent of Gross National Product (GNP). This generosity offers much needed subsistence to relatives, and acts as a life-line not only for immediate families, but also to wider society as the money trickles down via domestic commerce to even remote rural communities. The money transfer helps much needed construction projects, small business, credit and loans schemes, as it assists in creating some job opportunities and incomes. Also, the money transfer- handled by a network of roughly 8 remittance companies, facilitates international trade. Even though these companies face future challenges in terms of adopting structural and regulatory frameworks to get them integrated into the global financial system, and despite the current setbacks caused by the closure of some companies due to alleged terrorism financing, the sector has proven to be resilient, and it continues to help a booming trade in which exports (livestock etc) and imports reached a record high US$265 million and US$400 million respectively. The remittance sector also makes regional and international payment transactions from and to Somalia more efficient and smoother than pre-war system. $100 sent from Europe/USA takes 1-2 days to reach relatives in Somalia if compared to the pre-war era where because of, among other things, bureaucracy it was a cumbersome task to transfer money via banks. It would not be an exaggeration if I say that the Somali remittance network is more efficient and reliable than those "formal" banking systems in Kenya and Ethiopia where bureaucracy and cumbersome regulatory frameworks make business and banking transaction much harder. Somalis have even tried to create banks, for example the attempt by a Somali group to open the Universal Bank of Somalia, the Dahabshiil efforts to become a bank is worth noting. Furthermore, the vibrant and resilient private sector – sometimes in partnership with public/NGO sectors, continues to provide essential services e.g. water, electricity, education and health, which are sometime better and more efficient than the pre-war service provision. And towns and villages, which even did not have access to some of these services under the central government are benefiting from it. And thanks to their resilience and hard-work Somalis' Gross National Income per capita is higher than Kenyans and Ethiopians!! Conclusion No room for complacency However, having highlighted some impressive achievements, I must say there is no room for complacency. This is because Somalis are amongst the poorest in the world and they owe the international community a massive debt of US$3.2 billion. Somalis lag behind in all human poverty indexes; and about 71% of population do not have access to sustainable water sources. In addition, they are far behind in meeting the UN's millennium targets that, among other things, stipulate universal primary education to all children by 2015. Even those stable regional administrations are now facing same old problems that existed during the central government, ranging from mismanagement of public funds; corruption; ineffective revenue collection mechanism; an imbalanced public budget in which higher percentage of the public purse is allocated to security and presidency sectors, while less is spent on social services and developmental projects. For example Puntland and Somaliland spend only 1% to 5% of their annual budget on education, which is the same as the pre-war expenditure. And obviously this would mean less education for children. Recommendations: what the international community should do: Pragmatic and practical support to all existing and emerging governance structure be it local, regional or federal. Refrain from inflaming the situation by whipping up the politics of war on terror in the region. Please try to learn a lesson from what had happened in Somali when Islamic Court Union was forced out and Ethiopia occupied Somalia. As extremism and terrorism forces in Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan seem to have defeated ideologically and military, it is very likely that those forces in Somalia will be defeated by Somalis' dislike of extremism and fanaticism combined with Obama administration's policy of dialogue with the Islamic world. These forces will make noises now and then (suicide bombings etc) but it is a matter of time before they disappear. So patience is required. Do not see and use one issue e.g. piracy as a tool to resolve the Somali conflict. This is a short term strategy and policy that proved to be a failure. In order to safeguard the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country, the international community should try to coerce through diplomacy and political will all stake-holders (regional states and federal government) to work together in view of constituting a federal structure. A case in point is the recent efforts by the Congressman Donald Payne, Chairman of subcommittee on Africa and Global Health of trying to bring stakeholders under one roof for dialogue and reconciliation. This was a historic landmark in America's policy. This is the kind of soft power which the US and other countries need to use in order to bang and bash heads together because this method is much cheaper but more powerful and effective than any other methods. So please keep on inviting these institutions to your Congresses and parliaments in the hope that one day wise men with listening ears might listen to your wisdom and learn from your country's experience as united states under a federal system. For Somalis, please continue with your resilience, perseverance, ingenuity and hardworking in order to achieve even greater results in the future. Help yourself so that the world can help you. Muuse Yuusuf |
|---|
UN SPEEDS ASSISTANCE TO FILIPINO CHILDREN HIT BY STORM AS DEATH COUNT CLIMBS
UN SPEEDS ASSISTANCE TO FILIPINO CHILDREN HIT BY STORM AS DEATH COUNT CLIMBS
As the rising death toll from the tropical storm that struck the Philippines over the weekend climbs to 240 people, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) today announced it has rushed emergency relief supplies to the value of $143,000 to the affected children and their families.
Within 24 hours of tropical storm Ondoy – internationally known as Ketsana – dumping record rainfalls on the capital, Manila, and the surrounding area, <"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF provided aid in the form of food and non-food items, as well as temporary shelter to local authorities for distribution to flood-stricken communities.
An equivalent of one month's worth of rain, or more than 410 millimetres, fell in the space of nine hours on Saturday in the Manila metropolitan area, local weather services reported to the World Meteorological Organization (<"http://www.wmo.int/pages/index_en.html">WMO).
The country's worst flooding in four decades has affected more than a million people, with 226,000 Filipinos forced from their homes into 200 evacuation centres, according to the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC).
"I visited the flooded sites of Taguig, Mandaluyong and Quezon City today, and was shocked by the level of devastation in many communities," said Vanessa Tobin of UNICEF.
"In the next 48 hours, we will be delivering more hygiene kits, essential medicines, water purification tablets, portable toilets and family kits containing blankets and soap to aid in relief efforts," said Ms. Tobin. "We are also helping the Government and other humanitarian agencies to address gaps in the delivery of aid to those affected."
UNICEF voiced concern over the storm's long-term effects on children, including health risks posed by the widespread flooding, and the agency is braced for two tropical storms forecasted to strike the same area on Thursday or Friday.
Sep 29 2009 1:10PM
________________
As the rising death toll from the tropical storm that struck the Philippines over the weekend climbs to 240 people, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) today announced it has rushed emergency relief supplies to the value of $143,000 to the affected children and their families.
Within 24 hours of tropical storm Ondoy – internationally known as Ketsana – dumping record rainfalls on the capital, Manila, and the surrounding area, <"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF provided aid in the form of food and non-food items, as well as temporary shelter to local authorities for distribution to flood-stricken communities.
An equivalent of one month's worth of rain, or more than 410 millimetres, fell in the space of nine hours on Saturday in the Manila metropolitan area, local weather services reported to the World Meteorological Organization (<"http://www.wmo.int/pages/index_en.html">WMO).
The country's worst flooding in four decades has affected more than a million people, with 226,000 Filipinos forced from their homes into 200 evacuation centres, according to the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC).
"I visited the flooded sites of Taguig, Mandaluyong and Quezon City today, and was shocked by the level of devastation in many communities," said Vanessa Tobin of UNICEF.
"In the next 48 hours, we will be delivering more hygiene kits, essential medicines, water purification tablets, portable toilets and family kits containing blankets and soap to aid in relief efforts," said Ms. Tobin. "We are also helping the Government and other humanitarian agencies to address gaps in the delivery of aid to those affected."
UNICEF voiced concern over the storm's long-term effects on children, including health risks posed by the widespread flooding, and the agency is braced for two tropical storms forecasted to strike the same area on Thursday or Friday.
Sep 29 2009 1:10PM
________________
SOMALIA: Islamist groups on a "war footing" in Kismayo
SOMALIA: Islamist groups on a "war footing" in Kismayo
NAIROBI, 29 September 2009 (IRIN) - Tension is rising in Somalia's southern coastal city of Kismayo following fears of impending fighting between Islamist groups Al-Shabab and Hisbul-Islam due to a split within their ranks, local sources told IRIN.
The two groups control Kismayo, 500km south of the capital Mogadishu, and much of the country's southern regions.
The tension follows a decision by Al-Shabab to ignore an earlier agreement between the two that control of the city would rotate between them, a businessman resident in Kismayo, who requested anonymity, said.
"When they [Islamists] captured Kismayo in 2008, they agreed that Al-Shabab will govern for the first six months and then Hisbul-Islam will take over, but Al-Shabab now refuses to honour that agreement," he said.
He said both sides had brought troop reinforcements into the city. Al-Shabab was reported to be digging in on the southern side of the city while Hisbul-Islam had set up defensive positions in the north.
Some residents have started fleeing their homes to safe areas because of the tension.
Contacted by IRIN Radio, Sheikh Ahmed Sheikh Mohamed of Hisbul-Islam admitted there was a problem between the two groups but said talks were ongoing to resolve the differences.
"Elders and professionals are mediating and I am hopeful we will find a solution."
However, he said people's fears were justified given the current situation, "but the opposing sides should resolve their differences by peaceful means and not through violence. A solution is to form a unified administration that brings all on board."
Attempts by IRIN to contact Al-Shabab were unsuccessful.
Mahamud Abaysane, an internally displaced person (IDP) in Kismayo, said: "Many people have already moved to the outskirts of the city to avoid being caught in the middle."
Among those leaving the city were many displaced families. "Hundreds of families have left the camps since Sunday," he said.
The families are said to be going to the north of the city and towards Mogadishu. "They really don't know where they are going but they want to be out before fighting starts here," Abaysane added.
He said many IDPs had very little to begin with "and now they are on the run again".
Cut off from aid
Abaysane said since the Islamists had taken control of the city, there had been little help from aid agencies. "We are cut off from all assistance," he added.
Another business source told IRIN that people in Kismayo expected fighting to start at any time.
"There are no serious mediations going on and both sides are sticking to their positions," he said. "Unless by some miracle there is a breakthrough, I really don't see how they can avoid war."
He said a meeting between the two sides had been held but "nothing was achieved".
Business in the city was at a standstill, "with many merchants removing their wares quietly", while the business community was "hoping and praying that the two sides will find a common ground to avoid violence", he added.
At the heart of the matter is a power struggle between the two Islamist groups that have been fighting the government, said another source. "As a partner, Hisbul-Islam feels they have been marginalized by Al-Shabab and I think they have now decided that enough is enough."
ah/mw
NAIROBI, 29 September 2009 (IRIN) - Tension is rising in Somalia's southern coastal city of Kismayo following fears of impending fighting between Islamist groups Al-Shabab and Hisbul-Islam due to a split within their ranks, local sources told IRIN.
The two groups control Kismayo, 500km south of the capital Mogadishu, and much of the country's southern regions.
The tension follows a decision by Al-Shabab to ignore an earlier agreement between the two that control of the city would rotate between them, a businessman resident in Kismayo, who requested anonymity, said.
"When they [Islamists] captured Kismayo in 2008, they agreed that Al-Shabab will govern for the first six months and then Hisbul-Islam will take over, but Al-Shabab now refuses to honour that agreement," he said.
He said both sides had brought troop reinforcements into the city. Al-Shabab was reported to be digging in on the southern side of the city while Hisbul-Islam had set up defensive positions in the north.
Some residents have started fleeing their homes to safe areas because of the tension.
Contacted by IRIN Radio, Sheikh Ahmed Sheikh Mohamed of Hisbul-Islam admitted there was a problem between the two groups but said talks were ongoing to resolve the differences.
"Elders and professionals are mediating and I am hopeful we will find a solution."
However, he said people's fears were justified given the current situation, "but the opposing sides should resolve their differences by peaceful means and not through violence. A solution is to form a unified administration that brings all on board."
Attempts by IRIN to contact Al-Shabab were unsuccessful.
Mahamud Abaysane, an internally displaced person (IDP) in Kismayo, said: "Many people have already moved to the outskirts of the city to avoid being caught in the middle."
Among those leaving the city were many displaced families. "Hundreds of families have left the camps since Sunday," he said.
The families are said to be going to the north of the city and towards Mogadishu. "They really don't know where they are going but they want to be out before fighting starts here," Abaysane added.
He said many IDPs had very little to begin with "and now they are on the run again".
Cut off from aid
Abaysane said since the Islamists had taken control of the city, there had been little help from aid agencies. "We are cut off from all assistance," he added.
Another business source told IRIN that people in Kismayo expected fighting to start at any time.
"There are no serious mediations going on and both sides are sticking to their positions," he said. "Unless by some miracle there is a breakthrough, I really don't see how they can avoid war."
He said a meeting between the two sides had been held but "nothing was achieved".
Business in the city was at a standstill, "with many merchants removing their wares quietly", while the business community was "hoping and praying that the two sides will find a common ground to avoid violence", he added.
At the heart of the matter is a power struggle between the two Islamist groups that have been fighting the government, said another source. "As a partner, Hisbul-Islam feels they have been marginalized by Al-Shabab and I think they have now decided that enough is enough."
ah/mw
AT UN, ARAB NATIONS CALL ON ISRAEL TO SEIZE OPPORTUNITY FOR PEACE
AT UN, ARAB NATIONS CALL ON ISRAEL TO SEIZE OPPORTUNITY FOR PEACE
New York, Sep 28 2009 3:10PM
The moment has come for Israel to take action to achieve a lasting peace in the Middle East, Arab nations told the General Assembly's high-level debate today, calling for an immediate end to settlement activity.
Through its measures, including settlement building, Israel "challenges the will of the overwhelming majority of the international community," Foreign Minister Walid Al-Moualem of Syria <"http://www.un.org/ga/64/generaldebate/pdf/SY_en.pdf">said at United Nations Headquarters.
"Peace and occupation cannot coexist," he stressed, calling for a "genuine political will" to end the long-running conflict.
Mr. Al-Moualem appealed for an end to the "lip service" being paid to the need for peace, which, he said, is "categorically different from working for peace."
He welcomed the engagement by the new United States administration, the UN Security Council, the European Union, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Non-Aligned Movement, but lamented that the momentum has been dampened by Israeli positions and actions.
For its part, Oman <"http://www.un.org/ga/64/generaldebate/pdf/OM_en.pdf">said that it calls "upon Israel to seize the historical opportunity to establish a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East that would achieve security and peaceful coexistence between the States and peoples of the region," Yousef Bin Al-Alawi Bin Abdulla, the country's Foreign Minister, said today.
"Squandering this opportunity by Israel will constitute a grave loss for the Israeli people," he added.
The establishment of an independent Palestinian State on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, among other measures, will help ensure a peaceful coexistence between Arab states and Israel and promote development in the region, Mr. Abdulla told the heads of State and government gathered in New York.
"Peace, based on these principles, will be one of the most important gains of the people of the regions which would lead towards ending regional crises and eradicating the root causes of terrorism," he underscored.
The conflict is still continuing because of the "lack of a methodology based on a just and balanced peace," as well as the "conspicuous absence of a binding mechanism for implementation," Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed, Bahrain's Foreign Minister, said in his <"http://www.un.org/ga/64/generaldebate/pdf/BH_en.pdf">address to the Assembly.
The Arab side, he pointed out, has gone to great lengths to delineate its position that peace is both strategic and irreversible. The international community must, therefore, do its part by exerting pressure on Israel to freeze and ultimately dismantle its settlements.
Last week, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced his strong support for Palestinian efforts to complete the building of state institutions in two years, and pledged the full assistance of the UN towards this goal.
The plans to build up Palestinian institutions were announced last month by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, and reportedly include disentangling the Palestinian economy's dependence on Israel and foreign aid, trimming the size of the government, increasing the use of technology and unifying the legal system.
"I strongly support the Palestinian Authority's plan to complete the building of the state apparatus for Palestine in two years, and pledge the UN's full assistance," Mr. Ban said in a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=4079">message to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee.
"The significance of this goal should not be lost on any of us. Nor can we underestimate the urgency of the moment," he told the gathering, which was attended by Mr. Fayyad and other officials.
"Either we move forward, towards two States living side-by-side in peace, or backwards towards renewed conflict, deeper despair and long-term insecurity and suffering for Israelis and Palestinians alike. The status quo is untenable."
Sep 28 2009 3:10PM
________________
New York, Sep 28 2009 3:10PM
The moment has come for Israel to take action to achieve a lasting peace in the Middle East, Arab nations told the General Assembly's high-level debate today, calling for an immediate end to settlement activity.
Through its measures, including settlement building, Israel "challenges the will of the overwhelming majority of the international community," Foreign Minister Walid Al-Moualem of Syria <"http://www.un.org/ga/64/generaldebate/pdf/SY_en.pdf">said at United Nations Headquarters.
"Peace and occupation cannot coexist," he stressed, calling for a "genuine political will" to end the long-running conflict.
Mr. Al-Moualem appealed for an end to the "lip service" being paid to the need for peace, which, he said, is "categorically different from working for peace."
He welcomed the engagement by the new United States administration, the UN Security Council, the European Union, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Non-Aligned Movement, but lamented that the momentum has been dampened by Israeli positions and actions.
For its part, Oman <"http://www.un.org/ga/64/generaldebate/pdf/OM_en.pdf">said that it calls "upon Israel to seize the historical opportunity to establish a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East that would achieve security and peaceful coexistence between the States and peoples of the region," Yousef Bin Al-Alawi Bin Abdulla, the country's Foreign Minister, said today.
"Squandering this opportunity by Israel will constitute a grave loss for the Israeli people," he added.
The establishment of an independent Palestinian State on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, among other measures, will help ensure a peaceful coexistence between Arab states and Israel and promote development in the region, Mr. Abdulla told the heads of State and government gathered in New York.
"Peace, based on these principles, will be one of the most important gains of the people of the regions which would lead towards ending regional crises and eradicating the root causes of terrorism," he underscored.
The conflict is still continuing because of the "lack of a methodology based on a just and balanced peace," as well as the "conspicuous absence of a binding mechanism for implementation," Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed, Bahrain's Foreign Minister, said in his <"http://www.un.org/ga/64/generaldebate/pdf/BH_en.pdf">address to the Assembly.
The Arab side, he pointed out, has gone to great lengths to delineate its position that peace is both strategic and irreversible. The international community must, therefore, do its part by exerting pressure on Israel to freeze and ultimately dismantle its settlements.
Last week, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced his strong support for Palestinian efforts to complete the building of state institutions in two years, and pledged the full assistance of the UN towards this goal.
The plans to build up Palestinian institutions were announced last month by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, and reportedly include disentangling the Palestinian economy's dependence on Israel and foreign aid, trimming the size of the government, increasing the use of technology and unifying the legal system.
"I strongly support the Palestinian Authority's plan to complete the building of the state apparatus for Palestine in two years, and pledge the UN's full assistance," Mr. Ban said in a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=4079">message to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee.
"The significance of this goal should not be lost on any of us. Nor can we underestimate the urgency of the moment," he told the gathering, which was attended by Mr. Fayyad and other officials.
"Either we move forward, towards two States living side-by-side in peace, or backwards towards renewed conflict, deeper despair and long-term insecurity and suffering for Israelis and Palestinians alike. The status quo is untenable."
Sep 28 2009 3:10PM
________________
UN WELCOMES SUDANESE ORDER TO LIFT CENSORSHIP ON NEWSPAPERS
UN WELCOMES SUDANESE ORDER TO LIFT CENSORSHIP ON NEWSPAPERS
New York, Sep 29 2009 4:10PM
The United Nations today welcomed the reported decision by President Omar Al-Bashir to immediately lift censorship on Sudanese newspapers.
"This decision will advance the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and is an important step towards creating an appropriate environment for the multi-party elections scheduled for April 2010," the UN Mission in Sudan (<"http://unmis.unmissions.org/">UNMIS) said in a statement.
UNMIS voiced hope that the implementation of the decision announced by Mr. Al-Bashir on Sunday, along with other measures under consideration, "will enable all Sudanese to freely exercise their rights of franchise and expression."
It also reiterated its commitment to stand by and support the efforts of the parties to implement the 2005 CPA, which ended Sudan's north-south civil war.
The pact requires a comprehensive review of national laws to bring them into line with the Interim Constitution and the country's international human rights obligations.
It also includes a provision for a referendum on independence for the south slated for 2011, following national elections next year.
In a recent report on progress towards the elections, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted that Sudan's institutions have yet to take a number of basic steps to prepare for the long-awaited polls.
The Government of National Unity, the National Assembly and the Government of Southern Sudan must "guarantee basic political freedoms, including the freedom of assembly, speech and the press," he wrote.
Sep 29 2009 4:10PM
________________
US Jews and Israelis split on Obama
| US Jews and Israelis split on Obama | ||||||||
As Barack Obama, the US president, prepares to meet Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, and Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, a recent poll in theJerusalem Post suggests that just four per cent of Israelis believe the Obama administration supports their country.
This is a very disturbing clip. Israel has been galloping to the right since 2000 or so but this particular type of racist attitude appears new. This clip demonstrates that there is a wide gap between American Jews and Israeli Jews on Barack Obama. American Jews, who know him well, like him and trust him. Israelis do not.
The good news is that if the Obama administration decided to push hard for an agreement, it won't matter what these racists on the Israeli street say. Even if these people represented a majority of Israelis, and I don't think they do, their views would not matter. An American president has the power and authority to achieve an end to the occupation and peace if he has the will. At this point, we do not know if Obama has the will. He should not be daunted by people like those in the clip. The racists will always be among us, in the US and in Israel. A president's job is to ignore them and push ahead. But time is running out. If nothing comes out of Tuesday's meetings between Obama, Abbas and Netanyahu, I will not be optimistic that anything will happen over the next few years. They say they don't hate anybody. But, in the end, they continuously block progress and sustain the occupation. These people, who talk more nicely, are also more dangerous than the people in the clip. ALJAZERA TV |
DJIBOUTI CALLS ON SECURITY COUNCIL TO ACT TO RESOLVE BORDER DISPUTE WITH ERITREA
DJIBOUTI CALLS ON SECURITY COUNCIL TO ACT TO RESOLVE BORDER DISPUTE WITH ERITREA
The Security Council must take steps to solve the border dispute between Djibouti and Eritrea, Djibouti said today, warning that if the row is allowed to fester it will set a dangerous precedent for other crises around the world.
Roble Olhaye, Djibouti's Permanent Representative to the UN, <"http://www.un.org/ga/64/generaldebate/pdf/DJ_en.pdf">told the final day of the General Assembly's annual high-level segment that the Council needs to use "all means at its disposal" to end the stand-off between the African neighbours.
In June last year, following weeks of rising tensions and military build-up, the two countries' armed forces clashed over an un-demarcated area in the Red Sea known as Doumeira, killing 35 people and leaving dozens of others wounded.
This January the Council adopted a resolution demanding that Eritrea pull its forces from the disputed area and cooperate with diplomatic initiatives, and welcoming Djibouti's withdrawal of its forces to its positions before the dispute.
A UN fact-finding mission sent to the region after the dispute flared was welcomed by Djibouti but blocked by Eritrea, which refused to meet with it or with any envoy of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who offered to use his good offices to help resolve the issue.
Today, Mr. Olhaye called for the row over Doumeira – which he noted is "situated in one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world" – to be resolved along the lines of the Council resolution, "without further equivocation, confusion and deliberate procrastination."
"Inaction sets a dangerous precedent which others will surely follow in the future – deny and refuse to cooperate! The Council must not appear to be appeasing Eritrea indefinitely; this is a dangerous and an unpredictable regime that has not shown so far any respect to international norms and behaviour."
Exercising his right of reply, an Eritrean delegate told the Assembly later today that his country "doesn't have territorial ambitions" and it has not occupied land belonging to Djibouti. He also said that Djibouti had presented a one-sided view of the situation.
Responding further, a delegate from Djibouti said Eritrea had demonstrated a pattern of military aggression in the region since it gained independence in 1993, and accused the country of a lack of cooperation with any efforts to resolve the dispute over Doumeira.
Sep 29 2009 6:10PM
________________
The Security Council must take steps to solve the border dispute between Djibouti and Eritrea, Djibouti said today, warning that if the row is allowed to fester it will set a dangerous precedent for other crises around the world.
Roble Olhaye, Djibouti's Permanent Representative to the UN, <"http://www.un.org/ga/64/generaldebate/pdf/DJ_en.pdf">told the final day of the General Assembly's annual high-level segment that the Council needs to use "all means at its disposal" to end the stand-off between the African neighbours.
In June last year, following weeks of rising tensions and military build-up, the two countries' armed forces clashed over an un-demarcated area in the Red Sea known as Doumeira, killing 35 people and leaving dozens of others wounded.
This January the Council adopted a resolution demanding that Eritrea pull its forces from the disputed area and cooperate with diplomatic initiatives, and welcoming Djibouti's withdrawal of its forces to its positions before the dispute.
A UN fact-finding mission sent to the region after the dispute flared was welcomed by Djibouti but blocked by Eritrea, which refused to meet with it or with any envoy of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who offered to use his good offices to help resolve the issue.
Today, Mr. Olhaye called for the row over Doumeira – which he noted is "situated in one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world" – to be resolved along the lines of the Council resolution, "without further equivocation, confusion and deliberate procrastination."
"Inaction sets a dangerous precedent which others will surely follow in the future – deny and refuse to cooperate! The Council must not appear to be appeasing Eritrea indefinitely; this is a dangerous and an unpredictable regime that has not shown so far any respect to international norms and behaviour."
Exercising his right of reply, an Eritrean delegate told the Assembly later today that his country "doesn't have territorial ambitions" and it has not occupied land belonging to Djibouti. He also said that Djibouti had presented a one-sided view of the situation.
Responding further, a delegate from Djibouti said Eritrea had demonstrated a pattern of military aggression in the region since it gained independence in 1993, and accused the country of a lack of cooperation with any efforts to resolve the dispute over Doumeira.
Sep 29 2009 6:10PM
________________
G20 MUST BE WIDENED TO INCLUDE VIEWS OF MORE NATIONS, SINGAPORE SAYS AT ASSEMBLY
G20 MUST BE WIDENED TO INCLUDE VIEWS OF MORE NATIONS, SINGAPORE SAYS AT ASSEMBLY
The so-called Group of 20 (G20) industrialized nations must be reformed to strike the perfect balance between effectiveness and inclusiveness, a senior official from Singapore told the General Assembly today.
The G20 played a crucial role in helping to ameliorate the impact of the financial crisis, Foreign Minister George Yeo told the Assembly's annual high-level debate.
"Though not ideal, it is the most important driver of change we have right now," he <"http://www.un.org/ga/64/generaldebate/pdf/SG_en.pdf">said, adding that the United Nations is "too intricate" to deal with such problems.
But for the G20 to be effective and legitimate, "it is not enough for leaders to confer and make general exhortations," Mr. Yeo stated.
These gatherings should not be confined to the same nations every time, he said, calling for "variable geometry in membership."
The official proposed different participants for different subjects, stressing that "the views of small States, which comprise the majority of UN members, must not be ignored."
He emphasized that "a balance has to be struck between effectiveness and inclusiveness," since a gathering that is too big would be too unwieldy, while a meeting that is too small would lack "representation and legitimacy."
Recognizing that power shifts never occur smoothly, Mr. Yeo called for a collective effort in putting a new global system into place.
"We should not be lulled by the temporary easing of the global economy into thinking that the worst is behind us and that we can return to our old ways again."
Sep 28 2009 5:10PM
________________
The so-called Group of 20 (G20) industrialized nations must be reformed to strike the perfect balance between effectiveness and inclusiveness, a senior official from Singapore told the General Assembly today.
The G20 played a crucial role in helping to ameliorate the impact of the financial crisis, Foreign Minister George Yeo told the Assembly's annual high-level debate.
"Though not ideal, it is the most important driver of change we have right now," he <"http://www.un.org/ga/64/generaldebate/pdf/SG_en.pdf">said, adding that the United Nations is "too intricate" to deal with such problems.
But for the G20 to be effective and legitimate, "it is not enough for leaders to confer and make general exhortations," Mr. Yeo stated.
These gatherings should not be confined to the same nations every time, he said, calling for "variable geometry in membership."
The official proposed different participants for different subjects, stressing that "the views of small States, which comprise the majority of UN members, must not be ignored."
He emphasized that "a balance has to be struck between effectiveness and inclusiveness," since a gathering that is too big would be too unwieldy, while a meeting that is too small would lack "representation and legitimacy."
Recognizing that power shifts never occur smoothly, Mr. Yeo called for a collective effort in putting a new global system into place.
"We should not be lulled by the temporary easing of the global economy into thinking that the worst is behind us and that we can return to our old ways again."
Sep 28 2009 5:10PM
________________
AFRICA MUST HAVE FULL SECURITY COUNCIL REPRESENTATION – DR CONGO TELLS ASSEMBLY
AFRICA MUST HAVE FULL SECURITY COUNCIL REPRESENTATION – DR CONGO TELLS ASSEMBLY
The Security Council must be fully reformed and enlarged to include a proper African representation, particularly since two thirds of the issues it addresses concern the continent, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) told the General Assembly today.
"The present UN system does not correspond in its current concept to the hopes of its founders and to the letter of the Charter that its creation was able to inspire," DRC Foreign Minister Alexis Thambwe Nwamba said as the Assembly entered the fifth day of its annual General Debate.
"Whatever the outcome of negotiations under way on this issue, my delegation remains committed to the idea that the Security Council must take into account the political and numerical weight of Africa in the General Assembly (where the continent holds 53 national seats), and this above all because two thirds of the situations that come before the Council concern it."
That is why the DRC reiterates its plea for full African representation in al decision-making organs and above all the Security Council, he added.
Referring to his own country, where the UN played a major role in efforts to restore stability and hold free, democratic elections in 2006 after years of civil war, Mr. Nwamba noted that conflict and above all the use of rape and other sexual violence as a weapon of war continued in the conflict-torn east of the country where fighting has persisted between the national army, rebels and other armed groups.
"Sexual violence against women and girls in the east of the DRC constitute in our view the most shameful and serious crimes that humanity has ever known in this 21st century," he said, noting that two eastern provinces, North and South Kivu, account for 80 per cent of the national total of such crimes.
"Just must be done for these violated women and girls," he declared, stressing President Joseph Kabila determination to put an end to impunity and adding: "Despite this apocalyptic picture the situation in eastern DRC tends to improve."
He cited joint operations with neighbouring governments over the past year against Rwandan and Ugandan rebels and noted that operations were continuing against Rwandan rebel hold-outs in South Kivu.
Sep 28 2009 4:10PM
________________
The Security Council must be fully reformed and enlarged to include a proper African representation, particularly since two thirds of the issues it addresses concern the continent, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) told the General Assembly today.
"The present UN system does not correspond in its current concept to the hopes of its founders and to the letter of the Charter that its creation was able to inspire," DRC Foreign Minister Alexis Thambwe Nwamba said as the Assembly entered the fifth day of its annual General Debate.
"Whatever the outcome of negotiations under way on this issue, my delegation remains committed to the idea that the Security Council must take into account the political and numerical weight of Africa in the General Assembly (where the continent holds 53 national seats), and this above all because two thirds of the situations that come before the Council concern it."
That is why the DRC reiterates its plea for full African representation in al decision-making organs and above all the Security Council, he added.
Referring to his own country, where the UN played a major role in efforts to restore stability and hold free, democratic elections in 2006 after years of civil war, Mr. Nwamba noted that conflict and above all the use of rape and other sexual violence as a weapon of war continued in the conflict-torn east of the country where fighting has persisted between the national army, rebels and other armed groups.
"Sexual violence against women and girls in the east of the DRC constitute in our view the most shameful and serious crimes that humanity has ever known in this 21st century," he said, noting that two eastern provinces, North and South Kivu, account for 80 per cent of the national total of such crimes.
"Just must be done for these violated women and girls," he declared, stressing President Joseph Kabila determination to put an end to impunity and adding: "Despite this apocalyptic picture the situation in eastern DRC tends to improve."
He cited joint operations with neighbouring governments over the past year against Rwandan and Ugandan rebels and noted that operations were continuing against Rwandan rebel hold-outs in South Kivu.
Sep 28 2009 4:10PM
________________
SOMALIA: Puntland cracks down as potential migrants gather in Bosasso
SOMALIA: Puntland cracks down as potential migrants gather in Bosasso
NAIROBI, 28 September 2009 (IRIN) - The authorities of Somalia's self-declared autonomous region of Puntland have begun cracking down on would-be migrants and people smugglers, who have been using its ports to reach the Gulf States, a senior police officer told IRIN.
He said thousands of Somalis and Ethiopians had gathered in Bosasso, the commercial capital, with the aim of attempting to cross the Gulf of Aden into Yemen.
"We estimate there are between 3,000 and 5,000 migrants currently in and around Bosasso," said Col Osman Hassan Awke, the Bari regional police chief.
He said security units had taken over some of the beach ports used by smugglers to pick up migrants.
"Marere beach [10km south of Bosasso], which was one of the main ports used by smugglers, is now a police post," Awke said, adding that despite the police effort in Puntland to stem the flow of migrants, "they still continue. We shut down one or two known ports and then they find another one."
He said the police would continue to set up posts on "most of the important beaches". However, he said the police did not have the means to stop the smuggling completely, without help from the international community.
According to the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, a total of 924 boats and more than 46,700 people have made the journey to Yemen from the Horn of Africa since January.
"So far this year, 322 are known to have drowned or went missing at sea and are presumed dead," Roberta Russo, spokeswoman for UNHCR Somalia, told IRIN on 28 September.
A local journalist, who requested anonymity, told IRIN the region's authorities had in the past tried to stem the migrant flow without success.
"They even tried to repatriate them to their homes in Ethiopia or southern Somalia but it did not work," the journalist said.
He said many migrants simply returned: "These are desperate people and no matter what, they will get on the boats if they want to."
Awke said the police had stopped repatriating migrants because "as soon as we send them they are back, and we don't have the resources to keep sending them back".
He claimed aid agencies were not doing enough to help with the situation, adding that there was not even an official camp to host the migrants. "They are all over the place, which makes policing them that much more difficult."
However, Russo said: "In 2006 there was an attempt to create a camp for the migrants, but the initiative failed as, instead of protecting its inhabitants, the camp became a breeding ground for all kinds of violations."
In 2009, the agencies and authorities reconsidered the option of opening a camp but abandoned the idea.
Russo added that UNHCR and its partners were distributing information on the dangers of crossing the Gulf of Aden and the options for migrants and asylum seekers.
The journalist said Puntland had a long coastline and would be hard-pressed to police it. "They [the authorities] don't have the resources to effectively patrol it."
Smugglers were reportedly charging each migrant US$150 to $200 for the trip to Yemen, said the journalist. "Many migrants will have to work for over a year to make that kind of money."
ah/mw
[END]
NAIROBI, 28 September 2009 (IRIN) - The authorities of Somalia's self-declared autonomous region of Puntland have begun cracking down on would-be migrants and people smugglers, who have been using its ports to reach the Gulf States, a senior police officer told IRIN.
He said thousands of Somalis and Ethiopians had gathered in Bosasso, the commercial capital, with the aim of attempting to cross the Gulf of Aden into Yemen.
"We estimate there are between 3,000 and 5,000 migrants currently in and around Bosasso," said Col Osman Hassan Awke, the Bari regional police chief.
He said security units had taken over some of the beach ports used by smugglers to pick up migrants.
"Marere beach [10km south of Bosasso], which was one of the main ports used by smugglers, is now a police post," Awke said, adding that despite the police effort in Puntland to stem the flow of migrants, "they still continue. We shut down one or two known ports and then they find another one."
He said the police would continue to set up posts on "most of the important beaches". However, he said the police did not have the means to stop the smuggling completely, without help from the international community.
According to the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, a total of 924 boats and more than 46,700 people have made the journey to Yemen from the Horn of Africa since January.
"So far this year, 322 are known to have drowned or went missing at sea and are presumed dead," Roberta Russo, spokeswoman for UNHCR Somalia, told IRIN on 28 September.
A local journalist, who requested anonymity, told IRIN the region's authorities had in the past tried to stem the migrant flow without success.
"They even tried to repatriate them to their homes in Ethiopia or southern Somalia but it did not work," the journalist said.
He said many migrants simply returned: "These are desperate people and no matter what, they will get on the boats if they want to."
Awke said the police had stopped repatriating migrants because "as soon as we send them they are back, and we don't have the resources to keep sending them back".
He claimed aid agencies were not doing enough to help with the situation, adding that there was not even an official camp to host the migrants. "They are all over the place, which makes policing them that much more difficult."
However, Russo said: "In 2006 there was an attempt to create a camp for the migrants, but the initiative failed as, instead of protecting its inhabitants, the camp became a breeding ground for all kinds of violations."
In 2009, the agencies and authorities reconsidered the option of opening a camp but abandoned the idea.
Russo added that UNHCR and its partners were distributing information on the dangers of crossing the Gulf of Aden and the options for migrants and asylum seekers.
The journalist said Puntland had a long coastline and would be hard-pressed to police it. "They [the authorities] don't have the resources to effectively patrol it."
Smugglers were reportedly charging each migrant US$150 to $200 for the trip to Yemen, said the journalist. "Many migrants will have to work for over a year to make that kind of money."
ah/mw
[END]
Guinea protest death toll soars
| Guinea protest death toll soars | ||||||
At least 157 opposition supporters are now believed to have died after Guinea's troops opened fire on a mass protest in the capital, Conakry, a human rights group has said. Sow told the Reuters news agency that the figure did not include the bodies of an unknown number of demonstrators killed which were never delivered to hospital in the city. The shootings took place on Monday after about 50,000 protesters gathered outside a stadium in defiance of an official ban on the demonstration.
"Even I, as head of state in this very tense situation, cannot claim to be able to control those elements in the military.'' But there was widespread international condemnation of the bloody crackdown. The African Union Commission, condemned the "indiscriminate firing on unarmed civilians", and urged Guinean officials to respect freedom of expression and assembly. "In this respect the commission is preparing a report on the developments in Guinea and possible measures to be taken, including sanctions," it said in a statement.
The AU suspended Guinea's membership after Camara seized power in a bloodless coup last December.
Paris called on the military government to "show responsibility and to listen to the Guinean people's legitimate aspiration to democratically choose their leaders". "Guinea's leaders should order an immediate end to attacks on demonstrators and bring to justice those responsible for the bloodshed," she said. | ||||||
|
29 September, 2009
Somalia Since "Black Hawk Down"
Whatever agenda the US and UN had about sending 28 000 blue helmet soldiers to Somalia as part of a
But things went wrong when the objectives of this noble mission have been switched from humanitarian to an outright military confrontation with Somali warlords. Worse still, the mission targeted only one warlord, General Aideed, whom the UN/US forces considered as the most notorious faction leader in the areas of their responsibility. And one more mistake was the lack of coordination of the UN/US forces which had led to the demise of the billion dollar mission of two years. Needless to go back to the fate of the two year UN intervention in Somalia and its disgraceful exit following the 1993 clash between Somali militia and American Rangers. I think I should not go into the details of that military engagement as everybody is satiated with all information concerning the October 3 firefight. My point is to focus on how the present situation has evolved since "Black Hawk Down". Highlights "After Black Hawk Down" Somalia has been put Ãn the list of Neglected States, staging a campaign of isolation against the war-torn nation by total evacuation of all forces and closing almost all humanitarian agencies thereby leaving the people in the mercy of warlords. The general public has been paying the price of this cruel punishment in the form of: And in addition to that there were: Deepening economic crisis, Further fragmentation of the country into pieces of tribal lands as in the case of Puntland (which had assisted Somali-land to stray further away from the fold or as others say "undermined Somaliland's existence as a republic unworthy of international recognition), Spread of the self-rule virus: Killing and kidnapping of prominent journalists, peace and human rights activists, When Has Alqaeda found a foothold in Somalia? The Alqaeda ball started rolling to Somalia when the bombing of US embassies in Nairobi and Darussalam took place, Somalia has sunk deeper into the pits of isolation. It was accused of giving shelter to three of those who masterminded the bombings. The US which almost seemed to have closed the Somali chapter over the years preceding the embassy tragedy has shown a renewed interest in Somalia. Its intervention first started in a small-scale intelligence gathering surveillance on land, sea and air but later on graduated to a proxy war using warlords as their agents on the ground to hunt down foreign members of al-Qaeda, who supposedly have slipped into Somalia after the explosions. But many believed that America's search for al-Qaeda members in Somalia was no different than the WMD in Iraq which was used as a pretext to invade a sovereign nation. But the US had proven facts that the terrorists were hiding inside Somalia though the world remained very skeptical of their claims. There was no evidence of Somali Islamists giving protection to terrorists until recently when Black Hawk returned to Somalia with a well planned attack and killed a Kenyan born Arab by the name of Salah Nabhan along with six others. That was the most precise attack ever carried out by American warplance since they started hunting down Alqaeda elements in Somalia. Previously they killed innocent people and sometimes hit animals in their shed. The killing of Saleh Nabhan has shocked the Somali islamists who found the news as a harsh blow to their existence as insurgents. They have lost a key figure who may have been a major link between them and Al-Qaida in terms of communication and finance. But the killing sparked off a new wave of terror carried out by suicide bombers against the African Union forces in Mogadishu. In a one suicide attack the insurgents killed more than twenty African Soldiers at their base including the vice Commandant of the force. It is believed that those who carried out the bombings have come from America, especially Minnesota In conclusion I would say that it was too early in 1993 to let Black Hawk go to war with the Somali militia as there were many other options ( much safer and more productive) to deal with the situation than to start shooting. And now I would say it seems too late for Black Hawk to come back because the suicide bombers are being manufactured in factories located inside America and the turnover is expected to double owing to the powerful brainwash machine as well as the extensive media coverage these human bombers are receiving. This is very serious and can lure more young jihadists into the web of terror explosions. If situation is not reversed, We have little hope to see Somali back into our hands anytime soon. Abdi-Noot Mohamed Writer and Film maker Sweden nuuru2003@hotmail.com www.authorsden.com/abdinoorhajimohamed |
|---|
Dhexdhexadin kasta oo la galo, gacan Dulmi ku nool ahayd yaa joojinaya?!! UDUB maxay ku xidhey Guddoomiyihii Gobalka Caasimadda ee Kulmiye?!!
|
To Save Somaliland We Have A Duty To Start The Change Process Immediately
To Save Somaliland We Have A Duty To Start The Change Process Immediately
Many of us, who are praying for change to happen in our motherland, are advised to start the change process wherever they are. Let?s change for good. I will agree with early Cabdulahi Suldan timo Cade, when he poet in one of his advice (tribilesm is destruction ) that if you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make a change. In the same way, Somalilands should first take a look at themselves and start the change. We have role models to copy or follow their ideas.
If a small percentage of us start this change process wherever they are and be consistent, then there could be hope to revive Somaliland . We have to remember that we have a choice to either save Somaliland or sink Somaliland . To save Somaliland we have a duty to start the change process immediately. Every little positive effort will matter a lot. Failure to save Somaliland disastrous.
But I must caution people that, there will be no quick fix to Somaliland as problem. Changing the entire Somaliland system will be a difficult project; therefore we should be prepared for a tough project. Many of us will resist changes. Change itself is difficult. Many of Somalilanders who are below 30 years have known no other system except the present day Somaliland system. Therefore changing more than half of the population will be tough and challenging. This is the more reason why any person that desires change should start changing his/her environment in any small way that is possible.
The grassroots will be a good starting point for changes. Change comes not from the top down but from the ground up. Management of people at the grassroots is very essential for any successful change. Revolutionaries all over the world have high sense of patriotism and have introduced positive changes to the lives of their people. Same should apply to Somalilands seeking to start quiet revolution or change. Henceforth it will be ideal for Somalilands to be thinking of individual/private sector led change of the Somaliland system. There are a lot of changes that the civil society can spearhead. Also changing Somaliland is burden for all of us, therefore the earlier we start changing our nation the better for all of us. May God bless Somaliland
Democracy is not compatible with police or military dictatorship. In a democracy, the desire of the people is supreme, there is complete freedom of expression and there is no barrier of cast, creed, community, minority, majority, religion and language in a true democracy. Democracy is not possible without the full participation of every section of the people of the country where a village will be the basic unit. Hence a democratic person should work only for the reservation of the democracy instead of for the interest of his political party.
I don?t think this crisis has created by one person or two but more than that. Yes,Riyaala, leadership and Udub is on top to take the responsibility of some of the problems but Electoral Commission have their share of creating this mess.
By: Amiin Dahir
Many of us, who are praying for change to happen in our motherland, are advised to start the change process wherever they are. Let?s change for good. I will agree with early Cabdulahi Suldan timo Cade, when he poet in one of his advice (tribilesm is destruction ) that if you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make a change. In the same way, Somalilands should first take a look at themselves and start the change. We have role models to copy or follow their ideas.
If a small percentage of us start this change process wherever they are and be consistent, then there could be hope to revive Somaliland . We have to remember that we have a choice to either save Somaliland or sink Somaliland . To save Somaliland we have a duty to start the change process immediately. Every little positive effort will matter a lot. Failure to save Somaliland disastrous.
But I must caution people that, there will be no quick fix to Somaliland as problem. Changing the entire Somaliland system will be a difficult project; therefore we should be prepared for a tough project. Many of us will resist changes. Change itself is difficult. Many of Somalilanders who are below 30 years have known no other system except the present day Somaliland system. Therefore changing more than half of the population will be tough and challenging. This is the more reason why any person that desires change should start changing his/her environment in any small way that is possible.
The grassroots will be a good starting point for changes. Change comes not from the top down but from the ground up. Management of people at the grassroots is very essential for any successful change. Revolutionaries all over the world have high sense of patriotism and have introduced positive changes to the lives of their people. Same should apply to Somalilands seeking to start quiet revolution or change. Henceforth it will be ideal for Somalilands to be thinking of individual/private sector led change of the Somaliland system. There are a lot of changes that the civil society can spearhead. Also changing Somaliland is burden for all of us, therefore the earlier we start changing our nation the better for all of us. May God bless Somaliland
Democracy is not compatible with police or military dictatorship. In a democracy, the desire of the people is supreme, there is complete freedom of expression and there is no barrier of cast, creed, community, minority, majority, religion and language in a true democracy. Democracy is not possible without the full participation of every section of the people of the country where a village will be the basic unit. Hence a democratic person should work only for the reservation of the democracy instead of for the interest of his political party.
I don?t think this crisis has created by one person or two but more than that. Yes,Riyaala, leadership and Udub is on top to take the responsibility of some of the problems but Electoral Commission have their share of creating this mess.
By: Amiin Dahir
28 September, 2009
CODKAAGA KU CIIL BAX (16). DHACDOOYIN TAARIIKHI AH.
CODKAAGA KU CIIL BAX-(16). DHACDOOYIN TAARIIKHI AH
Codka muwaadinku waa codbixin warqadeed xilliga doorashada, xiliyada kale waa bandhig fikradeed oo qoraal, hadal iyo muuqaal ah. Muuqaalka waxa ka mid ah dhoola-tus, isu-soo-bax, shirar iyo banaanbax lagu muujiyo dareenka muwaadinka. Waa tiirarka dimuquraadiyadda, meesha laga waayo xorriyadda muujinta dareenka muwaadinku waxa lagu sifeeyaa meel u xaglisa dhinaca qorax dhaca qarannimo dimuquraadi ah, oo meel haddayna ahayn mudgi kelitalisnimo, cagta saartay dhabadii u kaxayn lahayd dhinacaas. Kelitalisnimadu ma aha marka xadhig iyo dil jiro oo keliya, waa dal awoodda talisku ku uruurto gacan keliya, oo ayna jirin wada-tashi iyo wax is weydiin, xataa haddayna ka jirin xad gudub xorriyadda aadmiga ahayni.
Haddaba waxa ina soo maray laba wiig oo kala-guur ah, halgan ay isku haleeleen koox doonaysay inay dalka ku hubsadaan dariiqa kelitaliska, iyo xaq-u-dirir lahaa halkaa dhafimeyso, ee dib hoggaanka ha lagu soo celiyo xeyndaabka sharciyada. Alle mahadi ha ka gaadhee waxa guulaystay colka dambe.Waa farxad iyo reynreyn qaran, waana mid kor u qaaday mustawaha lagu qiiyaaso qarannimada iyo sida loo xaliyo ismaandhaafka siyaasadeed, Soomaliland oo saarnayd kafadda miisaanku, waxay u dheeliday dhinacii dadweynaha iyo wanaag-doonka.
Taas waxa daliil u ah xaalad abuurkii dawladda ee dhicisoobay, iyo go'aanadii sharciga ka baxsanaa ee Madaxtooyada oo dhammaan noqday qaar socon waayey, waxa Madaxtooyadu ku fashilantay xaalad abuur kasta ooy soo malaygtay tan iyo bilowgii qalalaasaha ay iyadu furaha u haysay. Aan si aan qodobaysnayn bal se ku kooban sawir dhacdooyinkii xidhiidhka ahaa aan idiin soo dhigo oon dib u celiyo xusuustiina.
- Waxa la eryey Hayadii Interpeace ee Deeq-bixiyaasha wakiilka u ahayd. Waxa madaxtooyadu keli go'aamisay in doorashada lagu galo diiwaangelin la'aan.
- Waxa Guddoomiyaha Komishanku ku dhaartay inaan cidna loo joojinayn, waxuuna soo dhigay jadwalka ololaha. Isaga iyo Maxweynahu waxay habeen iyo dharaar lahaayeen doorashadu waa maalinteeda 29 Set, waa diiwaangelin la'aan, sharci noo diidayaa ma jiro in xisbi keliye doorashada galo, hadday kuwa kale diidaan...Waaba ereyada dalacsiiyey Mcalin Xasan oo ahaa wasiir dawle, kana dhigay wasiirka Madaxtooyada.
- Waxa dawladdu marar badan ku celcelisay in gacan bira lagu qaban doono ciddii banaanbax sameysa. Waxa gacmaha is-qabsaday labada xisbi oo dhigay banaanbax muujiyey awoodda shacbigu halkay la jirto, waxaana dabadeed la waayey ololahii maalka shacbiga lagu agaasi jiray ee UDUB oon dib loo arag, illeyn la arag cidda dadweynahu la socdee.
- Wasiirad ugu dhow Madaxweynahu dhinaca dhulka mey dhigin, habeen oo dhan la soo jeed, la dhaqdhaqaaji suldaano, cuqaal, ganacsato, dhalin iyo waayeel midba wax loo sheegay..ereyadii qabyaaladeed ee ku fogee reer hebel, reer hebelna reer hebel ku dir, ka jabi, ka kaxee, soo riix, didi, eri, cay iyo bulshada oo nabar kasta oo hore u soo mary la damqaayo, ayaa lagu bixiyey hantidii qaranka.
- Soconweyday. Baaqyo iyo warbaahintii sharka oo hawl gashay, guddiyo hoosaasin iyo daacad isagu jira la farsamee. Soocn weyday oo meel daalin iyo daacad ku wada jiraan dhaqaaqi weyday.Loo dhaqaaq dhinaca sharcidejinta Waxa la abaaray ridida labada Guddoomiye, waa Sulayman iyo Cabdirahman Cirro.
- Golayaashi dareeme duulaanka iyo xaalad-abuurka dalka ka taagan. Golaha wakiilada waxa ka bilaabmay dood ah dambiyada iyo dastuur jabinta Madaxtooyada, kuna biyo shubantay inaan laga fursanayn maamuus-ka-xayuubin.
- Waa nidaam sharci ah oon lays hortaagi Karin. Waxa xertii Madaxtooyadu go'aamisay in Golaha lagu dagaalamo oon Wakiiladu salkaba dhigin. Waa ayaan darro ee lix nin oo saaxiibay Mujaahid Axmed Weysacadde ku jiraa dirir iyo waraaqo jeex ku dhaqaaqe.In yar oo kaftan ah. Waagii hore waxaanu Burco ku dacaayadeen jirin inay ciyaarta kubbadda ku dheelaan hab ah haddii kubbaddu ku dhaafto yaan ninku ku dhaafin. Maalin dhoweyd anigoo arrinkan dabajooga ayaan kula kaftamay nin reer Boorame ah, taas waxaad ku badashayn dhinaca siyaasadda haddii lagaa badiyo, madasha shirka khalkhali oo yaan laba fadhiisan, isna waxuu yidh Waar taas ma naqaane, Riyaale waxuu kala yimid dhinaca Itoobiya.
- Loolankii Wakiiladu waxay socotaba gaadhay bastoolad la bax iyo gardarradii soconweyday oo heshay taageero Madaxtooyo. Taariikh cusub ayaa bilaabantay. Golahii la quful, muftaaxiine gacanta loo geli Madaxtooyada waa bidco ku soo biirtay dalka.Dawladdu ku faantay"Annagaa xidhnay ilaa aan nabbadda sugnana la furimaayo". "Waxay u shaqaynayaan Shir-guddoonku cadow raba inuu burburiyo dalka"
- Dadweyne is abaabul, la yee halkan hadday dhaafto, arrinku wuu fogaan. Banaanbax salmi ah lagu soo galbi Wakiiladii, rasaasi joojinweyday, dhulkana u dhace geesiyaal ku dhintay dareenkooda ooy si sharci ah u muujiyaan. Dilki cabsi keenio waa, deedna la fur Golahii..waa xaalad-abuur kale oo fashailmay…Weedhahii dawladda"Ciidan beeleedyo hubaysan ayuu ShirGuddoonku abaabulay" iyana waa ereyo taariikhi ah oo diiwaanka loo gelin doono maamulka Riyaale.DAAWO BANAANBIXII MUWAADINIINTA RASAASTA LAGU HAFIYEY EE DHIMASHADA IYO DHAAWACABA KEENTAY http://www.radiohormuud.dk/news.php?id=2857&page=8
- Dhanka kale u bood. Waxa la birtilmansaday Golaha Guurtida. Koradhsiimo sanad iyo laba sano ah kala doorta la yidhi, la barbar eri ha la bedelo Shir-guddoonka. Cabsi gelin, sooryo, dhaameel iyo hunguri kicin la adeegsay, lagu kab qabyaad iyo qaybintii doqonnimo.Shirguddoonkii leysku dir, la gilgil kursigii Sulaymaan, isna baqanwaa, danta guud ka door bid madaxiisa, dadwenaha gaadhsii fariin adag iyo xumaanta dalka jirta iyo xaalad abuurku waxay ka soo baxdaa Madaxtooyada ee ilaashada qaranimadiina, ku baaq.
- Arbacadii 23 Sept Riyaale dib uguray, yidhi 6da Qodob ee Caalamku soo jeediyey ayaanu qaadanay. La garay Kulmiye oo uu filaayey inay waqti ka qaadato dooddu keentana isqabsi, deedna uu ku canbaareeyo mid xagjir ah oon danta guud ogolayn. Kulmiye iyo Ucid Khamiistii hor-yimaade Golayaasha iyagoo filayey hadday Riyaale ka dhab tahay in UDUBna timaado ooy wadajir uga dalbaan labada Goleba inay joojiyaan mooshinada dalka gilgilay.UDUB ma iman, bal se hab-dhaqankii hore Riyaale sii wad, isagoo isha dabaaya yidhi" Guurtidu xaq ayey u leedahay inay mooshinkooda korodhsiimo sii wadaan, si ay dalka uga badbaadiyaan xukunka ku eeg 27 Sept 2009" La yaab. Miyaan korodhsiimadii hore ahayn ilaa 29 October 2009.
- Sulayman adkeysay oo khamaar. Waxii dhacayaa ha dhacaan cidda ka masuul ahna ha la arko, ee waa inoo Jimcaha iyo coddeynta korodhsiimada…u qaate reer UDUB inay guulaysteen farxad iyo qayilaad u dhaqaaqe, lagu qabow waa sanad iyo burburkii mucaaradka.
- Fiidkii Jimacaha Mucaarad is arag soo dhige haddii berrito la kordhiyo arrin aanaan oggolayn oo ka baxsan kii aan oggolaanay ee Deeqbixiyaashu iyo Bulshada Caalamku soo jeedisay, waxaanu dhisaynaa dawlad ka kooban labada xisbi ee UCID iyo KULMIYE, kuna baaqe banaanbaxyo taageero GUJI LINKAN OO DAAWO BAAQYADA MADAXTOOYADA IYO MUCAARIDKA. http://www.radiohormuud.dk/news.php?id=2923&page=2
- Sulayman baaq dir, berrito hadday Golahu korodhsiimada madaxtooyadu doonayso hirgeliyaan, waxii dalka ka dhaca Madaxweynhaa ka mas'uul ah
- Waa arrinkii oo is-laba gadiyey. UDUB isku yaacday, madaxtooyadii la'di weyday, mar kale soo gale hawada warbaahinta, hanjabaad iyo cago juglayn la yimaada. Waxba riixi weyday, salaadii subax horteed candhuuftii UDUB dib u liqday…Ha loo foodo lixda qodob ee Caalamku soo dhigay eey hore Kulmiye iyo UCID garteen arrinki ku biyo shubay.
- Shacbigi Golahii guurtida isku xeere, danta guud u gurmade, tuse inay taladu iyaga ka go'do. Duqaydii shalayto sanadka ku baaqaayey lafahooda u cabsade, isku raace wanaag iyo wax san, ducadii Dhugad Alle rumee. Hal diidan ma leh, Sulaymanna farta ma taagin ku dhammaatay. Maamuus iyo magacii Guurtiduna dhaxantii iyo xajiintii ka maydhe. Waxii la cunay calafkeed, bal se ma dhicin waxii loo cunay!. Xoole la soo celiyaa ma jirto, waayo cid sheeganaysa ayaan jirin...dhac qarsoonaa oo la sii dhacay kii laga sii dhacay ma dabo galo.
Waxa biyo-shubki noqday tii dadweynaha. Waxa Guurti garatay inay raacaan danta guud, iska riixaan magac xumo iyo dhibaato aan dhammaadkeeda la garanayn. Waxa la wada qaatay lixdii qodob ee khamiistiiba la gaadhi lahaa haddayna Madaxtooyadu noqon mid dhanna ka aqbashay, dhinaca kalena ka riixaysay muddo kordhin sanad ugu yaryahay. Waa guul dhinac walba ah oo meel dhexe iyo dan guud leysagu yimid. Waa se mid u baahan in niyad san lagu aqbalo, laguna shaqeeyo siday lixda qodob dhekhso u shaqeeyaan, lagana daayo xaalad abuur dambe, dalku khatar ayuu galay, mid dambena uma baahana.
Maqaalka kan xiga waxa aan ku eegi doonaa doorkii dhexdhexaadinta guduhu siday u gabtay. Doorka Golayaashu sharcidejintu siday ahayd? Mucaaridku ma maray dhabbo toosan? Yaa guulaystay? Maxaa laga faa'iday? Yaa ilaalin kara inaan xaalad-abuur kale dhicin?
Ugu dambayn hambalyo ayaan leeyahay ugu horreyn shacbiga ogaaday awoodooda, waxa sidoo kale aan bogaadin u dirayaa Xisbiyada Mucaaridka iyo Seddexda Gole ee dawladda; Guurtida, Wakiilada iyo Golaha Fulinta ee uu madaxa u yahay Madaxweynahu. Waxaanan leeyahay hawsha niyad san iyo hagrasho la'aan ku dhaqaajiya, khatar dambe yaan dalka la gelin. Ogaada in shacbi weyne idin eegaayo, iyagoo duruus ka qaatay dhacdooyinkii labada sano soo taxnaa.
Mahad oo dhan Allah leh.
Ahmed Arwo
http://samotalis.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)