From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Thu Oct 23 2008 - 04:58:08 EDT
Somalia: Speaker Notes 'Extension' of His Government's Mandate
Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu)
23 October 2008
Mogadishu
Somali Parliament Speaker on Sheikh Aden Madobe says the possibility of an extension to the Somali government and the parliament based on the items in the interim constitution.
He added that the interim parliament he leads would hand over power to an elected parliament, and it is unacceptable that there will be a vacuum of authority in Somalia, with a Russian destroyer crossed the Suez Canal en route to a valuable the coast of the Horn of Africa to fight the pirates.
Madobe admitted the government failed to prepare the country to democratic elections in 2009, pointing out that there remains little of its transitional period of 5 years. This will make it difficult to hold the elections on schedule, write a permanent constitution for the country or the holding of a referendum.
He announced that the Nairobi meeting aims to promote national reconciliation and stand on developments.
For his part, General Jama Mohamed Ghalib, the Deputy Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Alliance of the liberation of Somalia, "Asmara wing", strongly criticized the call made by the the government and parliament.
He noted that the Ethiopian Government carried responsibility for the problems of the Somali people by a call for legislation aimed at occupation of his country, pointing out that "Ignition" has become a tool used by Addis Ababa for their own interests, and emphasized that the wing of the opposition alliance led by Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys will continue to resist foreign occupiers.
In a comment on the clashes that took place the day before yesterday between the Islamic Courts and the youth movement in the town of Balad (north), he pointed out that freeing the country of the foreign invaders is the goal of all the resistance factions, but he admitted mistakes had been made in some cases.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations denounced the assassination of two staff members of a humanitarian relief organization. He noted that attacks against relief workers hampered efforts by relief agencies in the delivery of humanitarian assistance to more than 3 million Somalis are suffering from famine, said the attacks Flagrant violation of human rights, and urged the parties to the conflict in Somalia to maintain the safety of relief workers and provide facilities for them.
Meanwhile, sources said that the Russian destroyer Nustrachimi crossed the Suez Canal heading south on its way to address the widespread piracy in Somali waters.
A source at the headquarters of the General Staff of the Russian military naval escort vessel said that Russian "Njoostrachimi" (Commando) crossed the Suez Canal, adding that the ship "was given the task to protect shipment lanes of pirates, to escort ships flying the Russian flag vessels or those with Russian citizens on board". The spokeswoman also said that the relatives of the crew, a majority of them Ukrainian, of a ship hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia were preparing for the payment of ransom.
According to Ukrainian media that the ransom requested by the pirates who captured the ship (M. In Vina) and its crew and cargo, which included some 33 tanks and military equipment was between 5 and 30 million dollars.
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