From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Sun Aug 02 2009 - 05:19:47 EDT
Not Only Somali Sovereignty But Also Its Political Process Needs To Be Free
>From Interference
By Staff
Jul 30, 2009, 05:32
The Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, has recently made
remarks in regard to Somalia and the situation unfolding there on July 23rd.
The remarks of the Secretary General seem to further complicate matters
instead of finding solutions.
In his address, the Secretary General pointed out that the legitimate and
'popular government' of Somalia is facing internal opposition and is on the
verge of collapse. He appealed to the international community, especially to
IGAD to extend a helping hand to the 'Somali government'; win the hearts and
minds of the Somali people; to eventually weaken and crush the opposition.
Does the Secretary General have tangible and reliable ground information of
what goes in Somalia? Perhaps, he should have raised questions such as the
following before making such a statement.
. What does the United Nations mean by 'legitimate government'? Who elected
it and who does it represent, and under whose authorization has it become
legitimate?
. Does the United Nations under Ban Ki-moon have any legitimacy to decide on
the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political freedom and unity of the
Somali people?
. Does the United Nations afford its recognition to the governments of
Somaliland, Puntland and Kismayo as legitimate governments or regions of
greater Somalia, and with what legal means?
. If the United Nations affords its recognition to Kosovo and its citizens
as freedom fighters and thereby extends its acknowledgment to a state that
has never been its member how then does it fail to recognize freedom
fighters that are fighting for their country, which is a member of the
United Nations? How does the United Nations label them as 'terrorists' and
'fundamentalists'? Don't the fighters have the right to protect their
territorial integrity according to Article 58 of the Charter of the United
Nations?
. Why are the Somali people deprived of their right to make their own
choices in regards to the stability and the political process of their own
country?
. Who will take responsibility of the heinous crimes that are being
committed in Somalia? Who will take responsibility for the displaced 1.8
million Somalis and to what the Human Rights Envoy for the United Nations,
John Holmes reference to the crisis in Somalia as the 'worst humanitarian
catastrophe in the world'?
. Why hasn't the United Nations defended a member state when
its territorial integrity was compromised with the Ethiopian invasion?
. How was it possible for Ethiopia, a poor country which is dependent on
relief aid, to finance its invasion of Somalia?
. How is IGAD, the non-aligned intergovernmental association,
which has supported the Ethiopian invasion of Somalia from the
outset, expected to extend a helping hand?
. What has happened to the 17,000 strong force that the International
Community has trained and armed for the 'government' of Abdullahi Yosuf.
. Who pays the salaries of the members of 'parliament' of the so called
TFG in Somalia, a country which is commonly referred to
as a 'failed' state by many?
. What has happened to the 500 million USD of aid money donated to the
'government' of Abdullahi Yosuf?
. Furthermore, why is the International Community attempting
to impose a 'government' of its choice upon the Somali people?
Would they have accepted one themselves? Is the International
Community fully aware of the fact that Somalia is not only demanding freedom
from invasion, but also in its political process?
Article 1.1 of the Charter of the United Nations clearly stipulates that the
purpose of the UN is to maintain international peace and security and to
take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats
to that end. It further underlines the ready involvement of the UN in
controlling acts of aggression or any other breaches of peace. But is the UN
working along that same line in its member state Somalia? This is the
question that should be addressed by the International Community, including
by the United Nations Secretary General.
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