President asks UN for help

Interim President Abdiqasim Salad Hasan addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, and said the recent creation of Somali’s National Assembly was the beginning of a new era. In his address, the newly elected president asked for UN Member States to adopt a resolution on “Assistance to the Somali Republic”, as the country’s infrastructure had been destroyed and children had not gone to school for two decades. He also called on “warlords” to review their positions and respect the aspiration of Somali people to achieve national unity, social and economic development, and durable peace. UN sources told IRIN that, among member states, there was still “a lot of caution” shown towards recent events in Somalia. The newly elected president has gained international recognition and support, but is expected to show progress in forming a government of national unity, said the source. “The basic message he got in New York was, go and broaden out the process and reach out to those so far not involved”, explained the source. Both Abdiqasim and the president of Djibouti, Ismail Omar Guelleh have asked for UN assistance for Somalia, in the form of a peace-building mission. The requested mission would be a non-military, political mission following a peace agreement, concentrating on building institutions in a post-conflict environment, diplomatic sources told IRIN.