Puntland leader ready to join united state

The president of the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland, in northeast Somalia, has pledged to join a united Somalia once there is peace in the region. Jama Ali Jama told IRIN on Thursday the region was prepared to join a federal system within a unified Somali state.

He was speaking during a five-day visit to Ethiopia for discussions on how the two sides could join forces in the fight against terrorism. He said terrorists had plagued both Puntland and Ethiopia, along their common border.

“We and the Ethiopians have the same problem – the destabilisation of the region. We share a very long border with Ethiopia,” he said. “We want both Ethiopia and Puntland to live in very normal conditions and for that reason we have a common view against terrorism and [want] to remove any other misunderstandings between the two parties.”

Jama was appointed Puntland leader in November 2001 after his predecessor, Abdullahi Yusuf, was voted out of office by traditional leaders for trying to prolong his three-year mandate. There has been tension in the region ever since, with clashes between militia loyal to both men. Puntland declared itself autonomous in 1998, following a conference of local elders.

Jama also spoke of his hopes for the Somali reconciliation talks which are due to take place in Nairobi, Kenya. “I hope there will be very fruitful and very positive discussions,” he said. “Peace will be a giant step for the reunification of Somalia.”

He said the talks offered a real chance for peace in the region. “I am very optimistic about the talks,” he said. Some people have always tried to get some position and a high rank in the government. But I think people have been fed up for a long time, for about 12 years. People are always imposing their will on the rest of the majority of the people. I think now the momentum is there to say enough is enough and the problems must be solved and normalised.

“Puntland would join a reunified Somalia,” he added. “We would join a unified Somalia based on a federal system.”

He said his administration was opposed to the current Transitional National Government (TNG). “I don’t think the TNG is improving the situation in Somalia,” he said. “They had a golden opportunity to create a base for the government of Somalia but they didn’t succeed. The starting point was very positive but at the moment the result seems to have failed.

However, he believed that peace was in sight in Somalia. “All components of the other groups, be it the TNG or [opposition] SRRC [Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council] or warlords, should should see that the population has been suffering for a long time. Enough is enough. It is time to realise that people want to create a national, federal democratic government.”

He also called on the international community to intervene "against people who are creating obstacles for the creation of a stable government for a Somali nation.”

He added that Puntland and Ethiopia – who backed Jama’s rival - would now enjoy better relations. “We are actually confident that Ethiopia is trying to assist the rest of Somalia...in the re-creation of a national government for Somalia,” he said.