Somalia’s leaders clear obstacles to ending transitional period – UN
official
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9705&mid=12667&language=en-US>
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27 May 2012 –
Leaders in Somalia have agreed to set up a Constituent Assembly that will
adopt the East African nation’s new constitution in line with an existing
roadmap to end the current transitional governing arrangement by an upcoming
deadline, the United Nations envoy for the country
<
http://unpos.unmissions.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=hh3N5W1rvHM%3d&tabid=
9705&mid=12667&language=en-US> said today.
At a three-day consultative meeting that ended on Wednesday in the Ethiopian
capital, Addis Ababa, signatories to the so-called Roadmap for the End of
Transition in Somalia agreed that elders will select the delegates to the
National Constituent Assembly (NCA) no later than 20 June, the
Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Political
Office for Somalia ( <
http://unpos.unmissions.org/> UNPOS), Augustine
Mahiga, told a news conference in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, today.
“These meetings [in Addis Ababa] of the principals were dynamic and
sometimes contentious. But most importantly, they were ultimately
successful,” said Mr. Mahiga.
After decades of warfare, Somalia has been undergoing a peace and national
reconciliation process, with the country’s Transitional Federal Institutions
currently implementing the roadmap, devised in September last year, that
spells out priority measures to be carried out before the current
transitional governing arrangements end on 20 August.
The NCA will convene on 2 July to adopt the new provisional constitution by
10 July. Members of parliament will be selected by 15 July by the elders,
who will be assisted in the process by a Technical Selection Committee to
ensure that the nominees meet the criteria set out in an earlier agreement.
In his remarks to the media, Mr. Mahiga noted that key decisions made during
the meetings included the expansion of the Technical Selection Committee,
which will now be broadened to ensure representation of Somalia’s various
clans and international observers.
“There is a real spirit of camaraderie and a drive for progress amongst the
signatories of the Roadmap,” said Mr. Mahiga. “The process is moving forward
and the Somali leadership is committed to meeting the challenging, but
achievable, timetable. It is critical that all parties, including the
international community, now pull together to support this process.”
Agreements reached in Addis Ababa removed procedural obstacles to the
implementation of the roadmap, the envoy said, while noting the limited
time-frame.
“Somalia is less than ninety days away from the most momentous event in its
recent history. We have no time to lose,” he said. “There is not a moment to
spare as Somalia and its partners get down to work and ensure this process
is participatory, legitimate, inclusive, transparent and, above all,
Somali-owned.”
A communiqué issued in Addis Ababa at the end of the meetings also
recommended that the President of the Transitional Federal Government issue
a presidential decree to convene the NCA. The decree will also enable the
constitutional-making process to proceed towards the adoption stage and
allow the formation of the National Security and Stabilization Plan, which
is intended to lay the foundation for the development of the Somali justice
and security sector.
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Received on Sun May 27 2012 - 16:55:21 EDT
