Somalias new parliament, approved by all the main warlords in the Horn of
Africa country, was inaugurated Sunday in a major step towards ending 13
years of anarchy, reports The World Bank Press Review.
The ceremony was held in Nairobi instead of Mogadishu for security reasons, and because organizers felt no suitable venue was available in the Somali capital. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan issued a statement to congratulate all Somalis for this achievement, which has followed almost two years of arduous negotiations.
Annan commended the Kenyan government and President Mwai Kibaki, as well as other member states of the regional Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and international supporters, for their dedication to peace in Somalia.
Somalias clans were supposed to choose 275 deputies for the assembly –
the first recognized by the countrys main warlords since the ouster of
the dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991 – but several dozen stayed away.
– We still have some disputes, said Kenyas Regional Cooperation Minister
John Koech and head of a regional mediation team for Somalia, adding that
only 194 were sworn in on Sunday of the planned 216.
The main problem concerns the breakaway territory of Puntland, according to Italian Ambassador to Kenya Carlo Calia, who represents the European Union in the inter-Somali talks. Also conspicuously absent were representatives of
Somaliland, a breakaway territory in the northwest of the country that unilaterally proclaimed independence in 1991 without gaining international
recognition, and refused to participate in the talks.
The Washington Post Monday explains the new parliament is the product of
nearly two years of talks in Kenya among clan leaders, religious leaders
and warlords.
Kilde: World Bank Press Review
