Somali leaders to work together & MPs  Meet Soon

The Somali Transitional Federal Government is to convene its Parliament soon.

Prime Minister Ali Ghedi said yesterday that he was working round the clock to beat a 30-day deadline set for the Parliament to meet.

Ten days has already passed since President Abdullahi Yusuf and MPs allied to the country's Speaker set the deadline.

Speaking at a Nairobi Hotel yesterday when he officially opened a telecommunication conference, Prof Ghedi said consultations were going on at Johwar and Mogadishu on when and where the session would be held.

"We are hopeful we will be able to reach a compromise," he said.

The session is key in efforts to bring lasting peace to Somalia following years of talks since civil war broke out in the country in 1991.

Although a transitional government was agreed upon in Nairobi in 2004, MPs and the President elected, the new administration has been having problems due to opposition from some of the former warlords and differences on where the new government is to be based.

Prof Ghedi expressed confidence for a lasting peace in Somalia and appealed to investors to venture in the country.

The three-day conference for Somali telecommunication operators and Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, he said, would help link Somalia with the world.

"My government is tackling various factors that are hindering the great potential of this industry such as political instability, lack of financial resources, inadequate policy and regulatory arrangements and lack of trained manpower," Prof Ghedi said.

He said his government was committed to ensuring the extension of ICT services to the whole of Somalia.

The PM expressed concern over misuse and lack of a better frequency spectrum management in Somalia saying it should be governed by national and international rules and regulations.

Prof Ghedi was accompanied by Posts and Telecommunications minister Ali Ahmed Jama, deputy minister Abdikafi Moallim, Chief Cabinet Secretary Abdirahman Yousef Meygag and members of the Somali Telecom Association.

Mr Meygag said the meeting marked a defining moment for the Somali business community. He said the sector was highly damaged during the 14-year war in Somalia.

Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed and the speaker of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia Sharif Hassan Sheikh have agreed to work together towards sustained peace and unity in Somalia.
Briefing President Kibaki at State House Nairobi today on the declaration dubbed “the Aden Declaration” which the two leaders signed in Yemen recently, the leaders said they had agreed to put aside the differences that have threatened to derail the peace process.
They informed President Kibaki of their agreement to convene the Transitional Federal Parliament within Somalia to iron out any pending issues that were a hindrance to national unity.
The Somali President and the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the Transitional Federal Government also appealed to members of the Somali Parliament and Government to unite for the sake of forging national unity guided by the need to reconcile the various factions.
They similarly appealed to the Somali people to support efforts being made to disarm various militias to allow for full implementation of the peace accord.

Being his first visit to Kenya since his Government relocated to Jowhar in Somalia last year, President Ahmed thanked President Kibaki for the support that Kenya had extended to the Somali peace process.
He assured President Kibaki that the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia will continue cooperating with other IGAD member states in the reconstruction of Somalia.
Echoing the Somali President’s sentiments, the Speaker of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia and Prime Minister Mohammed Gedi said they will look up to President Kibaki for help should any problem arise in the implementation of the peace process.
Addressing them, President Kibaki advised the Somali leaders to embrace dialogue as a way of ironing out their differences.
“You have come this far and you should not allow personal differences to derail the peace process that augurs well for the people of your country,” President Kibaki said.
He assured them of the Kenya Government’s commitment to the success of the peace process in Somalia, saying Kenya cannot achieve any meaningful development if her neighbours were not at peace.
Present were Foreign Affairs Assistant Minister Moses Wetangula, Permanent Secretary Ambassador Boaz Mbaya and the Kenyan ambassador to Somalia Mohammed Affey.