EL-BERDE DECLARATION
Creation of National Restoration Council (NRC)
January 24, 2001
I. The El-Berde Meeting of four Somali political
organizations and Puntland State of Somalia has
decided to establish the National Restoration Council
(NRC).The NRC, which is currently composed of RRA,
SPM, SNF, SSNM/BIREM and the State of Puntland, shall
strive through dialogue to achieve an all-encompassing
and representative national institution that brings
together all Somali entities and political movements.
II. The objectives of the NRC are:
1. To restore trust and mutual confidence among Somali
communities throughout Somalia.
2. To initiate afresh the peace and reconciliation
process on a realistic, representative and genuine
basis.
3. To restore and safeguard national unity and the
territorial integrity of Somalia.
4. To act as custodian of national sovereignty and to
represent Somalia in international forum.
5. To promote the Building-blocks approach for the
establishment of self-governing regional states and to
re-affirm the principle of federal system of
government in Somalia.
6. To confront all destabilization and renewed
conflicts waged by the un-holy alliance of the Arta
Faction and extremist groups.
III. The NRC will convene a general conference in
Baydoa within forty-five days and invites all political movements to participate in the conference.
The conference is to tackle the implementation of the
objectives outlined in paragraph II above.
IV. The Meeting appeals to the international
community, particularly the UN Secretary-General and
Arab states to refrain from extending diplomatic
recognition and financial assistance to the
unrepresentative Arta Faction as such support would
lead to renewed conflicts in the country.
SIGNATURES:
1. Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed _______________ Puntland State of Somalia
2. Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur_____________ RRA
3. Omar Haji Mohamed (Masale)___________ SNF
4. Abdirizak Issak Bihi___________________ SNF
5. Mohamud Sayed Aden ________________ SNF
6. Aden Abdullahi Nur__________________ SPM
7. Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail_______________ SSNM/BIREM
Somali Political Organizations and Puntland Establish a National Restoration Council
Addis Ababa, January 26 (WIC)- Four Somali Political Organizations and the Puntland State of Somalia have formed the National Restoration Council (NRC) whose cardinal objective they said was to restore trust and mutual confidence among Somali communities
throughout Somalia.
The four Somali Political Organizations, namely the RRA, SNF, SPM and SSNM/BIREM as well as the Puntland state of Somalia issued on Wednesday what came to be known as the "El-Barde Declaration" heralding the formation of the Council, at the end of their meeting in El-Barde in Bakol Region.
The "El-Barde Declaration" states that the NRC shall strive through dialogue to achieve an all encompassing and representative national Institution that brings together all Somali entities and political
movements.
According to the declaration, the objective of the NRC include, the initiation afresh of the peace and reconciliation process on a realistic, representative and genuine basis, the promotion of the "building blocks" approach for the establishment of self-governing regional states and the reaffirmation of the principle of the federal system of government in Somalia and confront all destabilization and renewed conflicts waged by the in-holy alliance of the "Arta" faction.
The NRC which decided to convene a general conference in Baydoa, within fourty-five days to discuss the implementation of its objectives, appealed to the International Community, particularly the U.N. Secretary General and Arab States to refrain from extending diplomatic recognition and financial assistance to the unrepresentative "Arta" faction, saying that such a support would lead to renewed conflict in the country.
In a separate Press Statement speakers at the El-Barde meeting that led to the formation of the NRC, expressed dismay at what they described as the misguided and biased support by Arab countries,
particularly Yemen, Sudan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia for the "Arta" faction known as the Somali Transitional Government.
The Statement said the leaders of the Somali political Organization at the El-Barde meeting also seized the opportunity to express their gratitude and appreciation for the Governments and Peoples of
Ethiopia and Kenya for their positive and necessary role in Somali reconciliation" and for their generous hospitality for hundreds of thousands of Somali refugees in their respective countries.
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