From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Thu Jan 22 2009 - 07:29:02 EST
Somalia: Somalia presidential election to held in Djibouti, US pressure
22.01.2009
The US ambassador in Kenya Michael Rannerbeger has revealed that he had
pushed the acting president of Somalia and parliament speaker Aden Mohamed
Nor 'Madobe' to change his mind from holding the presidential election in
Baidoa town, southwest of Somalia.
Speaking to a group of Somali lawmakers in Nairobi , Mr. Rannerbeger, the US
ambassador in Nairobi said the house speaker accepted to divert the occasion
of presidential election into Djibouti .
"the ambassador told us that he had talked with Aden Madobe and persuaded
him to allow that the election should be held in Djibouti and I said to
Rennerbeger if we could get a place that we can cast freely our vote we are
ready to go," Ismael Mohamed Hurre Buba, member of parliament told
Waagacusub media.
Mr. Buba said Rannerbeger's meeting with the MPs ended successfully. "The US
government also raised important issues relating to building up the coming
Somalia government" added Buba. "The new government of Barrack Obama
promised to help Somali's unity government to establish its security,"
In a telephone contact with Waagacusub Media, Mr. Aden Madobe, the acting
president of Somalia declined to talk about his current political change but
confirmed the meeting with the US ambassador.
"first, we are going to form the broadened parliament and then move to the
other national tasks," he said.
Somalia is going to have a unity government as Washington is planning to
make prime minister Nor Adde as the country's president, reliable sources
said.
Sheik Sharif Ahmed, the leader of Allaince of re-liberation of Somalia who
is unpleasant with the candidacy of Nor Adde is due to announce his
candidacy as president of Somalia next week.
Up eleven political figures have declared their candidacy as six of them are
from Majerteen of Darod clan and it is yet unknown who will be the president
of Somalia at the end of January.
The Djiboutian government has already decorated the location in which the
election will be held on 26 January with the US government is calling for
timing presidential election to fill the gab vacated by former president
Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed.
Dahir Abdulle Alasow
Somalia:UN reportedly backs plans to hold Somali presidential poll in
Djibouti
A press release issued by the UN special envoy to Somalia, Ahmad Ould
Abdallah, has said that the UN is happy and satisfied with the idea of
holding the presidential election in Djibouti. Mareeg online has received a
copy of the press release which explained why the UN took such a stance.
The press release explained that Somali people are fed up with the civil
war, and that there was need for the resolution of the distracting situation
in Somalia.
Mr Ahmad Ould Abdallah has said the withdrawal of the Ethiopian forces was a
victory and he congratulated Somali people, adding that they should not
waste the big opportunity that is in their hands.
He said the plan to form a government of national unity that includes the
government and the armed opposition groups shows that the its was the time
to end the conflict in Somalia.
In the press release, groups involved in fighting and shedding of civilians'
blood have been warned and asked to stop the fighting. The UN said it was
the time to implement a cease-fire in the country.
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