BBC Monitoring International Reports, January 9, 2004
HEAVY FIGHTING REPORTED BETWEEN SOMLILAND, PUNTLAND
Reports say heavy fighting broke out this morning between a combined force, comprising Puntland police and special forces against forces loyal to Somaliland that are led by the Somaliland minister of pastoral development, Fuad Adan Ade, west of Laas Caanood (northeastern Somalia, town claimed by both Somaliland and Puntland).
The fighting is reportedly continuing. The number of casualties is not yet clear, however, three wounded people were brought to Laas Caanood hospital and it is not yet clear which side they belonged to.
A Puntland police spokesman said two people were killed on their side. There are no reports yet regarding the casualties of the Somaliland side.
Two members of Fuad Adan Ade forces, who are said to be important persons, have been taken captive by Puntland forces and are currently being held by Puntland forces at the presidential palace of the Puntland regional administration in Laas Caanood.
Reports add that the fighting was sparked off by the action of some members of Puntland forces who moved to the west of Laas Caanood following reports of the presence of Somaliland forces led by Fuad Adan Ade.
Laas Caanood town residents are streaming to the western sector of the town and to the main general hospital to find out the real situation on the ground.
The fighting was unexpected and most residents feel that the renewed fighting would only be limited to the western sector of the town.
Source: Radio Midnimo, Boosaaso, in Somali 1030 gmt 9 Jan 04) BBC Monitoring
Africa News, January 12, 2004
Somalia;Peace Talks Get New Lease of Life
BYLINE: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks
The stalled Somali peace talks, which were being held in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, have been given a new lease of life after Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni saved them from collapse.
After arriving in Nairobi on 8 January, Museveni, the current chairman of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), immediately held talks with the Somali leaders who were due to take part the next day in a retreat designed to revive the peace talks. He then went on to launch the retreat itself on Friday, an IGAD official told IRIN.
The retreat - originally fixed to have opened in Mombasa on 9 December, but postponed until 18 December, then yet again until 9 January - was seen as "an opportunity to jump-start the process and move it out of the current impasse", said James Kiboi, another IGAD official.
Awad Ahmad Ashara, the spokesman of the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland told IRIN that the current consultations were "breathing new life" into the peace process. Ashara said the president of the Transitional National Government (TNG) of Somalia, Abdiqassim Salad Hassan, who was participating in the proceedings again after having absented himself earlier, had shown courage in returning to the talks. "He made an historic move in the interest of the Somali people," Ashara asserted.
Meanwhile, the retreat has remained in Nairobi rather than moving to Mombasa as earlier planned, said the IGAD official. "They [leaders] opted to stay in Nairobi and continue with their consultations without interference. We [IGAD and international community] are here to encourage them and help if and when needed," he said.
Abdiqassim walked out of the peace talks in July last year, saying they were leading to the "dismemberment" of Somalia, but returned after being invited to do so by Museveni.
The TNG spokesman, Abdirahman Adan Ibbi, who is also the fisheries minister, told IRIN that soon after the launch of the retreat the Somali leaders had started talking to each other. "The mood is one of reconciliation, mixed with a new sense of optimism."
"The intervention of Museveni was the ice-breaker," Asha Haji Ilmi, a civil society leader, told IRIN on Monday. The leaders were meeting without mediators "with a new sense of purpose", she said. "There is a new air of optimism. We dare to hope," she said.
She warned, however, that they needed to grasp this opportunity. "We [Somalis] need to consolidate this new momentum for it to bear fruit." "The Somali people need more than crocodile tears".
Kenyan Foreign Minister Kalonzo Musyoka has also been involved "in intense behind the scenes attempts" to bring the Somali leaders together, a Somali source told IRIN. "He patiently and doggedly pushed the leaders to talk, and it seems to be paying off".
The IGAD-sponsored talks, which opened in Kenya over a year ago, have been dogged by wrangles over issues such as an interim charter, the number of conferees and the selection of future parliamentarians.
Many Somalis and international observers have described the retreat as the last chance to salvage the peace process.
BBC Monitoring International Reports, January 11, 2004
KENYAN PAPER URGES RIVAL SOMALI FACTIONS TO PUT PERSONAL INTERESTS ASIDE
Text of editorial entitled "Timely warning to warlords" published by Kenyan newspaper Daily Nation web site on 11 January
Somalia is a sad tale, indeed. Since the January 1991 collapse of dictator Siyad Barre's regime, there has been no recognized central government. As a result, the state called Somalia has practically disappeared from the world map.
The clan warfare raging in Somalia has serious ramifications internally and on the neighbouring countries. The neighbours have had to deal with an influx of refugees and the spillover of violence as weapons are smuggled across borders.
The ongoing Nairobi peace talks, though welcome, are the 14th time such discussions have been held. And this latest round - which has lasted over a year - is making pretty little progress.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, the current head of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), couldn't have put it better in his warning to the rival warlords that the international community is losing its patience.
Regrettably, the deep divisions between the various groups are still too painfully evident. However, the Somali rivals must realize that the time put aside personal interests and differences and promote the wider interests of their country and people is now.
Source: Daily Nation web site, Nairobi, in English 11 Jan 04) BBC Monitoring
Africa News, January 10, 2004
Somalia;Somali Warlords Give Kibaki, Museveni Hard Time
BYLINE: The Nation
Somali warlords yesterday kept Presidents Mwai Kibaki and Yoweri Museveni waiting for six hours in a Nairobi hotel before agreeing to resume peace talks.
The 20 factional leaders boycotted the 11am meeting and only agreed to return to the negotiation table at 5pm.
President Kibaki was first to arrive at the Safari Park Hotel and went directly to the private room reserved for VIPs. He was joined 10 minutes later by the Ugandan leader.
They had been consulting for 20 minutes before they learnt that none of the Somali leaders were in the conference room.
President Museveni, currently the chairman of the Inter Governmental Authority on Development, then set up camp in an adjacent meeting room, where he spent the next five hours holding informal talks with the warlords individually and in groups.
Meanwhile, President Kibaki was said to be holding meetings with State House and Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials. Minister Kalonzo Musyoka ended up playing the role of emissary between the two Presidents as the hours ticked by.
Four other warlords - Muse Sudi Yalakow, Osman Ali Atto, Barre Hirale and Abdirizak Bihi - stayed at home in Somalia. They sent junior deputies to represent them. The interim president of the transitional government, Mr Abdikasim Salat Hassan, also was not present.
As the impasse dragged out, President Museveni laboured to convince the warlords to support the peace process, which had stalled for the past three months.
The atmosphere was tense as supporters of the various factions spoke in groups outside the conference rooms as their bosses were locked up in the closed-door meetings.
Yesterday's meeting was meant to launch a 10-day retreat to enable the Somali leaders to come up with a power-sharing arrangement. Their country has been without a government for the past 13 years.
Mr Museveni's negotiating skills paid dividends by 5pm, when most of the Somali leaders began trooping back to the negotiation table. Igad has sponsored the 14-month peace talks taking place in Kenya.
Presidents Kibaki and Museveni reminded the feuding Somali leaders that the regional leaders and the international community were not ready to see the Horn of Africa country continue being ravaged by a civil war fuelled by sefish leaders.
Said Mr Museveni: "What is happening in Somalia is genocide in slow motion. I believe that what it needs is a permanent peace to be restored; the formation of a government of national unity with one army; and the restoration of sovereignty of the Somali people."
He made a passionate appeal to the warring leaders to unite and resolve their differences through dialogue, adding that the civil war had led to the death, maiming and destruction of property of the Somali people.
"You should dialogue and stop this big shame in Africa that has gone on for over a decade," he said before inviting them to shake hands as a sign of unity and goodwill. The guests clapped and ululated.
President Kibaki assured the Somali leaders and the international community that the Government would remain committed to the peace efforts by playing the role of honest broker.
"I look forward to the day Somalia will regain its status in the international community," he said. "This can best be achieved through dialogue and not violence, suspicion and hostility."
Delegates to the talks had earlier expressed dismay at the boycott.
Africa News, January 10, 2004
Somalia;Museveni Says It is Genocide
BYLINE: The East African Standard
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni yesterday described the civil war in Somalia as slow genocide.
He said the bloody civil war threatened to wipe out an entire generation of youthful Somalis. " A whole generation will soon be wiped out in Somalia," warned Museveni.
He urged the warring leaders to embrace dialogue and bring to an end a decade of civil war.
Museveni urged Somalis to embrace dialogue as the only way out of the crisis.
Museveni, who is the Chairman of the IGAD Assembly of Heads of State and Government was speaking at the Safari Park Hotel where he launched the Somali Leaders Retreat.
The Ugandan President, who left the country yesterday, said there are four urgent things the Somali leaders ought to do.
He told them to observe a ceasefire and also form a government of national unity with a single army.
He said the leaders should also strive to restore the country's sovereignty and focus on improving the economy.
"Its a mockery of our independence if we deny our people their sovereignty," said Museveni.
Museveni said he was ready to come back to Nairobi or go to Mogadishu to ensure that the peace process is speeded up.
The chairman of the IGAD Partners Forum Ambassador Carlo Ungaro said the Partners Forum was deeply committed to the Somali peace process. He expressed hope that the chance of reconciliation was still there despite disagreements from the warring groups.
Ungaro urged the Somali leaders to avoid pointing fingers at one another. " Lets look forward. We have all made mistakes which we can surmount. Lets try and respect one another," said Ungaro.
Agence France Presse, January 10, 2004/ BYLINE: MATTHEW LEE
DATELINE: WASHINGTON, Jan 9
US weighs initiative to help Somalia
The United States is considering a major diplomatic initiative to help create a functional government in lawless Somalia, a senior State Department official said Friday.
The aim would be to restore the war-ravaged country to some form of normality for its impoverished people and rein in terrorist elements, including some affiliated with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, the official said.
Both would boost east African stability and reduce the terrorist threat in the region, the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.
The Somalian capital was ironically the scene of one of the biggest US military fiascos of recent times in October 1993. The US army was fighting in Mogadishu against militiamen of the late warlord Mohamed Farah Aidid when 18 Task Force rangers on two Black Hawk helicopters were killed.
Should it proceed, the US push would see significant US financial, logistical and diplomatic assistance funneled into faltering Kenyan-mediated negotiations between Somalia's warring factions, the official said.
It could be modeled on US support for peace talks between Sudan's government and southern rebels, also being mediated by Kenya, that appear close to producing a settlement to end 20 years of civil war, the official said.
President George W. Bush's administration, which has placed a high priority on the Sudan peace effort, is studying the feasibility of Washington's involvement in the Somalia talks, the official said.
A report on the possibilities is due to be completed within 60 days, the official said.
"Kiplagat is a good diplomat and has taken a relatively hopeless situation and matured it," the official said, referring to Kenya's special envoy to the peace talks Bethuel Kiplagat.
"I don't know if he has matured enough to where we and somebody else can step in and take it to an end game that is satisfying though," the official said. "That's what the question is."
There have been 15 failed bids to negotiate durable peace in Somalia, which has been without a recognized central government since 1991, when dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted.
Last September, delegates to the latest round, which began in October 2002, endorsed a transitional federal charter but that was immediately rejected by several key figures, including the head of the current transitional goverment.
Earlier Friday, the regional Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which has been sponsoring the current round, convened a meeting of Somali political leaders and warlords in Nairobi to try to give the talks a boost.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, whose country now chairs IGAD, urged Somalis to end the "slow genocide" in their country and Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki challenged them to end the "senseless war" in the Horn of Africa nation.
Kibaki called on the fractious leader to upgrade a frequently ignored October 2002 truce into a complete ceasefire agreement. That pace has been violated repeatedly, mostly in Somalia's bullet-charred capital of Mogadishu.
Kenyan officials have been for months warning the international community against ignoring lawlessness in Somalia, saying it poses a threat to the stability of nearby countries and is a "breeding ground" for criminality and terrorism.
Kenya has been hit twice by terrorist attacks blamed on al-Qaeda, including the 1998 bombing of the US embassy in Nairobi and 2002 bombing of an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa.
Terrorist cells still exist in Kenya although the government, which has loudly complained that travel warnings issued by the United States and other western nations have decimated its tourism industry, is moving against them, the senior State Department official said.
But, the official added that until the situation in neighboring Somalia is stabilized, the threat would remain and that Kenya would not be ly safe for .
"Somalia bleeds into this," the official said. "You can't really become tourist friendly in Kenya to the Kenyans satisfaction until we can get a handle on that."
BBC Monitoring International Reports, January 10, 2004
KENYAN EDITORIAL URGES LEADERS TO GET SOMALIA OUT OF "IMBROGLIO"
Text of editorial entitled "Get the Somali out of this imbroglio" published by Kenyan newspaper East African Standard web site on 10 January
Thirteen years ago, myriad Somali armies turned to each other and united in a vicious war to rid their country of a dictator called Siad Barre. No sooner had Barre exited through Kenya, than these armies turned on each other to fight wars which only they understand.
The upshot of these wars is that strictly speaking there does not exist an authority in Somalia that would qualify to be the country's government. No single leader of any one army, the so-called warlords can claim to rule the Somali. Once one, Somalia has disintegrated into fiefdoms.
Ironically, Somalia is one unique country on the African continent whose people speak one language, have one religion and share a culture. Most people would argue that these three shared qualities would make it easier for the warring Somali factions to sit down and talk peace.
Yes, the various factions have been meeting in Nairobi for more than a year now, but an agreement has not been reached as yet. If anything some prominent Somali leaders attending these talks have been executed in and around Nairobi. However, beginning yesterday, Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, the IGAD (Inter-Governmental Authority on Development) chairman, launched a 10-day retreat for the Somali leaders after meeting them separately to review the progress of the talks.
A lot of money has already been expended on these talks as has been energy and time. The delegates have also tried the patience of their hosts to the limit with all sorts of side-shows that have helped to slow the progress. Nobody desires peace more than the ordinary Somali, a hard working and enterprising people who are also fiercely protective of their country and their integrity. Somali leaders have 10 days - nine from today - to agree a peaceful way forward for their country or continue with senseless slaughter of each other and the attendant mayhem.
Source: East African Standard web site, Nairobi, in English 10 Jan 04) BBC Monitoring
BBC Monitoring International Reports, January 10, 2004
SOMALI FACTION LEADERS STILL EXPECTED TO ATTEND TALKS IN KENYA
Four Somali warlords, who snubbed the launch of a 10-day Somali leaders' retreat are still expected at Safari Park (Hotel) for what has not turned to be called consultations.
Sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs say Muse Sudi Yalahow, Usman Ali Ato, Barre Herale and Abdiraazaq Bihi, who are still in Somalia are expected if the talks are meaningful developments. The four sent their juniors two represent them at the consultations open by Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni at Safari Park yesterday.
Somali's interim president of the transitional government, Mr Abdiqasim Salad Hasan, is however in attendance. The 10-day retreat was to enable the Somali leaders to come up with a power-sharing agreement. Their country has been without a government for the past 13 years.
Source: KTN TV, Nairobi, in English 1000 gmt 10 Jan 04) BBC Monitoring
BBC Monitoring International Reports, January 10, 2004
KENYAN PAPER SAYS CURRENT SOMALI TALKS "BEST FORUM FOR RESOLVING CONFLICT"
Text of editorial entitled "Somali peace possible in spite of drawbacks" published by Kenyan newspaper The People on 10 January
The search for peace in war-torn Somalia has been, to say the least, a long and torturous process both for the Somalis and the international community. Despite relentless efforts by the global community to bring sanity to the Horn of Africa country, which has never known any peace since the ouster of President Siad Barre, there is nothing tangible worth writing home about.
The Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), under whose auspices the dozen or so rounds of talks that have been held to try and broker a solution, has spent considerable resources, estimated at over 0.5bn shillings mainly provided by individual European countries, the EU itself and the Arab League.
The current round of talks, currently going on at the Kenya College of Communications Technology at Mbagathi in Nairobi, is the 14th so far and has already lasted a year. And sadly, there still seems to be no solution in sight. This latest round was expected to last three months but has instead dragged on for close to a year. The talks have been dogged by acrimony, confusion, suspicious killings and scuffles.
In addition, a section of the Somali delegates have attempted to derail the talks altogether on the premise that the process was not home-grown but imposed on them. Only recently, for instance, the Somali National Salvation Council, which is an alliance of 12 factions formed recently, vowed to boycott any further talks in Nairobi and to instead push for a reconciliation conference that would be held inside Somalia.
It is, however, the opinion of many that the Mbagathi venue is the best forum for the resolution of the Somali conflict since it provides a neutral arena where the conflicting aspirations of the various factions and clans can be expressed and consensus arrived at. In this regard, we strongly back the determination of IGAD to push forward with the peace process despite the myriad drawbacks. (Passage omitted)
It is high time the Somalis borrowed a leaf from their Sudanese brothers and sisters and agreed to discard their parochial and sectarian interests that are the main hindrance to the success of the peace process. That they have on several occasions even resorted to resolving their difference physically, the latest, according to reports, being on the eve of yesterday's launch of a 10-day retreat for them, is quite displeasing. (Passage omitted)
While such mundane details are crucial to the process, given the stakes involved, we belief that they can easily be sorted out in a much better way. Indeed, the impression being created does not augur well for the delegates' international image when viewed against the backdrop of the immense goodwill that has been forthcoming from international actors. (Passage omitted)
Source: The People, Nairobi, in English 10 Jan 04) BBC Monitoring
Africa News, January 9, 2004. BYLINE: The Monitor
Somalia;Museveni for Somali Talks
President Museveni arrived in Nairobi yesterday for a two-day official visit.
President Mwai Kibaki received him on arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, according to a statement from the Presidential Press Unit. Mr Museveni is in Kenya at the invitation of Kibaki and will use the occasion to launch the Somali Leaders' Retreat at the Safari Park Hotel today.
According to AFP, participants will move to Mombasa today after the opening session in Nairobi for another 10 days deliberating on issues affecting their country.
Museveni is the current chairman of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development.
Igad is an east African regional body trying to broker peace in strife-torn Somalia.
Museveni started with consultative discussions with Kibaki at State House Nairobi yesterday.
He was expected to begin his own consultative discussions with the various Somali leaders at the Safari Park Hotel.
This is in an effort to help the process of reconciliation among the factions. The meeting will also chart the way forward to establish peace and stability in Somalia.
Somali warlords, clan leaders, interim government officials and representatives from civil society have since October 2002 been attending talks aimed at restoring the first semblance of a national administration since the collapse of president Mohammed Siad Barre's regime in 1991.
Agence France Presse, January 9, 2004
Museveni urges Somali leaders to end "slow genocide" in their country
DATELINE: NAIROBI, Jan 9
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Friday urged Somali political leaders and warlords to end a "slow genocide" in their war-wracked nation by restoring a functional government.
"Somalis needs peace, the formation of a government, sovereignty and economic recovery," Museveni said during the launch of a ten-day meeting of top leaders in plush hotel in Nairobi.
"What is going on in Somalia is a slow genocide ... in which children are not allowed to have immunization, a proper education system and peace," said Museveni, the chairman of the regional Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an east African body trying to broker peace in strife-torn Somalia.
The meeting was convened by IGAD to advance the faltering peace talks aimed at halting anarchy and restoring a recognised government in Somalia, which last collapsed when dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was toppled in 1991 and the country plunged into numerous fiefdoms.
Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki, whose country is hosting the latest round of peace talks, challenged the fractious Somali leaders to pursue peace and end the "senseless war" in the Horn of Africa nation.
"We cannot afford to move backwards to the senseless violence of the past. Let's strive to move forwards towards peace and hope," Kibaki said.
"I hope you will seriously consider upgrading the Cessation of Hostilities (CoH), signed in (Kenyan town of Eldoret) in October 27, 2002, into a complete ceasefire agreement," said Kibaki.
The CoH has, however, been repeatedly violated, mostly in the bullet-charred capital, Mogadishu.
"The Somali people have had to bear the pain of civil conflict for over a decade now. And leaders, you owe them this chance of a lasting peace," he said.
Museveni and Kibaki were kept waiting for several hours early Friday after divisions emerged among Somali factions, including interim President Abdulkassim Salat Hassan, who were still undecided on whether to take part.
Despite opening of the meeting, differences among Somali leaders were not fully resolved.
The meeting will continue in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, instead of the port city of Mombasa, as earlier planned "because of convenience," officials said.
There have already been 15 failed bids to negotiate durable peace in Somalia, which has been without a recognised central government since 1991, when dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted.
Agence France Presse, January 9, 2004
Kenyan, Ugandan presidents kept waiting by squabbling Somalis
DATELINE: NAIROBI, Jan 9
Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and his Ugandan counterpart, Yoweri Museveni, who were due to open a meeting of Somali politicians, were kept waiting for hours on Friday after divisions emerged among Somali factions, officials said.
Kibaki and Museveni arrived to open the meeting at 11:00 am (0800 GMT) only to find that Somali leaders, including interim President Abdulkassim Salat Hassan, were still undecided on whether to take part.
"We have disagreed on the number of people attending the retreat (meeting), and who qualifies to participate in the meeting, and that is why the meeting cannot start," a Somali delegate told AFP.
"One group is insisting that only 24 members who signed the ceasefire accord in October 2002 should attend while the other wants members from civil society, religion, clan elders and intellectual to attend," the delegate said.
As the Somali leaders haggled, Museveni and Kibaki held consultations with mediators from the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an east African body trying to broker peace in strife-torn Somalia.
If the event ever gets off the ground, it will continue in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa to try to advance the faltering peace talks aimed at halting anarchy and restoring a recognised government in Somalia.
There have already been 15 failed bids to negotiate durable peace in Somalia, which has been without a recognised central government since 1991, when dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted.
BBC Monitoring International Reports, January 9, 2004
KENYAN, UGANDAN PRESIDENTS URGES SOMALI LEADERS TO RECONCILE, FORM GOVERNMENT
President Mwai Kibaki has appealed to the protagonists in the Somali conflict to upgrade the Eldoret Declaration (cease-fire signed by all Somali factions in Eldoret, Kenya, which was the first venue of talks before moving to Nairobi) from cessation of hostilities to a comprehensive cease-fire.
President Kibaki was speaking today at Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, during the launch of the Somali leaders' retreat by the chairman of IGAD (Inter-Governmental Authority on Development) assembly of heads of state and government and Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni.
President Kibaki expressed concern over the persistent violations of the declaration saying this violation was a major draw back to the peace process. The president appealed to the warring parties to give peace a chance, adding that peace will only came about if dialogue was given a chance. Noting that the retreat provided a unique opportunity for the leaders to demonstrate their commitment to peace, President Kibaki said its success depended on their sense of leadership and patriotism.
The president told the Somali leaders to cease the opportunity and translate the retreat into a significant milestone towards building a peaceful and stable Somalia. He reaffirmed Kenya's commitment to peace in Somalia, saying the IGAD-led process hosted by Kenya had the best chance of helping achieve peace in Somalia.
President Kibaki said Kenya would continue to play its role as a honest and neutral broker, adding that as a neighbour, Kenya wish to see peace and security restored in Somalia and the entire Horn of Africa. The president expressed optimism that the process will only take a few month and expressed concern that delaying finding a quick solution to the conflict had increased the financial burden.
Noting that the search of peace and stability in Somalia had been long and difficult, President Kibaki paid tribute to those leaders who have patiently stayed on course despite numerous setbacks.
President Kibaki at the same time acknowledged the contribution of the international community to the Somali peace process and singled out the IGAD partners forum contribution for their financial, political and moral support and the British and Swedish government's for sponsoring the retreat.
In his remarks, President Museveni called for the establishment of a legitimate government in Somalia, noting that none of the warring parties in that country could claim that legitimacy, President Museveni said the only way forward for Somalia was through negotiation.
President Museveni told the Somali leaders that the resistance movement in Somalia aborted and rendered the use of guns to gain power useless. Equating the situation in Somalia to a slow genocide, noting that for over a decade children were dying in that country due to lack of immunization and that a whole generation had been condemned to oblivion in for lack of education.
President Museveni discouraged the Somali leaders against bigotry and narrow mindedness and urged them to go to negotiations with open mind. He said Somalia disparately needed peace, formation of a government, army, restoration of sovereignty of the people of Somalia and a minimum economic recovery.
Later, President Museveni left for home. The plane carrying the Ugandan leader departed from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport shortly before 6 p.m.
Source: KBC radio, Nairobi, in English 1600 gmt 9 Jan 04) BBC Monitoring
BBC Worldwide Monitoring, January 9, 2004
Kenyan, Ugandan presidents urges Somali leaders to reconcile, form government
SOURCE: KBC radio, Nairobi, in English 1600 gmt 9 Jan 04
President Mwai Kibaki has appealed to the protagonists in the Somali conflict to upgrade the Eldoret Declaration cease-fire signed by all Somali factions in Eldoret, Kenya, which was the first venue of talks before moving to Nairobi from cessation of hostilities to a comprehensive cease-fire.
President Kibaki was speaking today at Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, during the launch of the Somali leaders' retreat by the chairman of IGAD Inter-Governmental Authority on Development assembly of heads of state and government and Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni.
President Kibaki expressed concern over the persistent violations of the declaration saying this violation was a major draw back to the peace process. The president appealed to the warring parties to give peace a chance, adding that peace will only came about if dialogue was given a chance. Noting that the retreat provided a unique opportunity for the leaders to demonstrate their commitment to peace, President Kibaki said its success depended on their sense of leadership and patriotism.
The president told the Somali leaders to cease the opportunity and translate the retreat into a significant milestone towards building a peaceful and stable Somalia. He reaffirmed Kenya's commitment to peace in Somalia, saying the IGAD-led process hosted by Kenya had the best chance of helping achieve peace in Somalia.
President Kibaki said Kenya would continue to play its role as a honest and neutral broker, adding that as a neighbour, Kenya wish to see peace and security restored in Somalia and the entire Horn of Africa. The president expressed optimism that the process will only take a few month and expressed concern that delaying finding a quick solution to the conflict had increased the financial burden.
Noting that the search of peace and stability in Somalia had been long and difficult, President Kibaki paid tribute to those leaders who have patiently stayed on course despite numerous setbacks.
President Kibaki at the same time acknowledged the contribution of the international community to the Somali peace process and singled out the IGAD partners forum contribution for their financial, political and moral support and the British and Swedish government's for sponsoring the retreat.
In his remarks, President Museveni called for the establishment of a legitimate government in Somalia, noting that none of the warring parties in that country could claim that legitimacy, President Museveni said the only way forward for Somalia was through negotiation.
President Museveni told the Somali leaders that the resistance movement in Somalia aborted and rendered the use of guns to gain power useless. Equating the situation in Somalia to a slow genocide, noting that for over a decade children were dying in that country due to lack of immunization and that a whole generation had been condemned to oblivion in for lack of education.
President Museveni discouraged the Somali leaders against bigotry and narrow mindedness and urged them to go to negotiations with open mind. He said Somalia disparately needed peace, formation of a government, army, restoration of sovereignty of the people of Somalia and a minimum economic recovery.
Later, President Museveni left for home. The plane carrying the Ugandan leader departed from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport shortly before 6 p.m.
The Monitor (Uganda) January 9, 2004
MUSEVENI FOR SOMALI TALKS
BYLINE: Our Reporter
President Museveni arrived in Nairobi yesterday for a two-day official visit.
President Mwai Kibaki received him on arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, according to a statement from the Presidential Press Unit. Mr Museveni is in Kenya at the invitation of Kibaki and will use the occasion to launch the Somali Leaders' Retreat at the Safari Park Hotel today.
According to AFP, participants will move to Mombasa today after the opening session in Nairobi for another 10 days deliberating on issues affecting their country.
Museveni is the current chairman of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development.
Igad is an east African regional body trying to broker peace in strife-torn Somalia.
Museveni started with consultative discussions with Kibaki at State House Nairobi yesterday.
He was expected to begin his own consultative discussions with the various Somali leaders at the Safari Park Hotel.
This is in an effort to help the process of reconciliation among the factions. The meeting will also chart the way forward to establish peace and stability in Somalia.
Somali warlords, clan leaders, interim government officials and representatives from civil society have since October 2002 been attending talks aimed at restoring the first semblance of a national administration since the collapse of president Mohammed Siad Barre's regime in 1991.
Panafrican News Agency (PANA) Daily Newswire, January 9, 2004
SUMMIT ON SOMALI CONFLICT OPENS IN NAIROBI
Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - After several hours of delay, a regional summit on the Somali conflict finally opened in Nairobi Friday with Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni in attendance.
Museveni, chair of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) said "the slow genocide," that threatens to annihilate the Somali population must end.
For his part, Kibaki said it was in the best interest of Somalia, Kenya and the entire continent that the civil strife in the Horn of Africa nation was brought to an end.
"Kenya will continue to play its role as an honest and neutral broker. As a neighbour, we wish to see peace and security restored in Somalia and the entire Horn of Africa. But above all, the search for a lasting and durable peace and a stable government in Somalia, is a matter of great national interest to Kenya," he added.
Several Somali leaders are boycotting the talks, but the President of the Transitional Government Abdiqasim Salat is attending the 10-day meeting, which is expected to agree the composition of a 351-seat parliament for the country.
Somalia has been without a central government since 1991 when former President Siad Barre was ousted. Barre died in exile in Nigeria in 1995.
Xinhua, January 9, 2004
East African leaders launch new bid to revive Somali peace talks
NAIROBI, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- East African leaders on Friday launched a 10-day retreat on Somalia in Kenya's capital Nairobi, in a bid to revitalize the stagnant peace talks.
The meeting, convened by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an east African regional body trying to broker peace in strife-torn Somalia, was officially launched by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who is also the chairman of IGAD assembly of heads of state and government, and his Kenyan counterpart Mwai Kibaki, who is also the chairman of the IGAD facilitation committee on the Somali peace process.
While addressing the participants during the launch, Museveni termed situation in Somalia as slow genocide. "What is happening in Somalia now is slow genocide. Negotiations are the only option for Somalia." Meanwhile, Kibaki told the Somali leaders to utilize the opportunity to demonstrate commitment to the process. "It is my hope that you will seize this historic moment and translate the retreat into a significant milestone, towards building a peaceful and stable Somalia."
The retreat, which had originally been fixed for December 2003, brought together 21 Somali leaders and is expected to end a decade long civil strife in Somalia.
Somalia dissolved into chaos after the 1991 ousting of strongman Mohammed Siad Barre.
The transitional national government, set up in 2000, controls only parts of the capital and parts of the rest of the country.
Somali warlords, clan leaders, interim government officials and representatives from civil society have since October 2002 been attending talks in Kenya aimed at restoring the first semblance of a national administration in Somalia. IGAD is a seven-member regional group in east Africa, consisting of Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Uganda, Eritrea, Somalia and the Sudan.
BBC, 9 January, 2004, 15:04 GMT
Somali talks begin despite row
Somalia has been wracked by 13 years of war
A 10-day summit on Somalia in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, has begun seven hours later than scheduled.
The talks are seeking to restore a faltering peace process and find an agreement on key issues relating to the constitution and a new parliament.
But mediators had to resolve squabbles over who was invited to the talks before the opening ceremony started.
Somalia has been without a functioning government since 1991 when factions ousted President Mohammed Siad Barre.
Since then the country has been plunged into bitter fighting between scores of armed militia groups.
This is the 14th time since January 1991 that peace talks have been held on Somalia, and this latest run - which has lasted over a year - has made equally little progress.
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni and his Kenyan counterpart, Mwai Kibaki, who attended the opening ceremony, have warned the delegates that the process has been going on for far too long.
"We must not let the patience of the international community run out," said Mr Kibaki.
Mr Museveni told the conference that what was happening in Somalia was "slow genocide".
"You should remember during your discussions," he added, looking at the Somali leaders in front of him, "that a generation of Somalians has already been lost".
Uganda's warning
The summit was supposed to move to Mombasa over the weekend, but will now continue in Nairobi.
East Africa's Inter Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which is brokering the Somali peace process, said they hoped that during this 10-day day retreat the Somali leaders will find an agreement.
But more than that, it is an attempt to kick-start a peace process that has cost over $7m with few results.
Interim Somali President, Abdulkassim Salat Hassan, whose delegation walked out of talks in November, was persuaded to come thanks largely to a personal invitation from Mr Museveni himself.
But, says the BBC's Christian Fraser in Nairobi, the deep divisions which exist between these different parties here are plain for all to see and there will need to be patience on all sides if these talks are to bear any fruit.
BBC World