President disappointed at lack of international support

The president of the Transitional National Government (TNG), Abdiqassim Salad Hassan, has expressed deep disappointment at the lack of support from the international community for rehabilitation in Somalia.

Addressing a press conference in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on Wednesday, he said if the international community "keeps neglecting us", Somalia could become "a safe-haven" for local terrorists who collaborate with international terrorists.

Hassan added that the country found itself in "a dangerous situation", and said if concerted action was not taken, Somalia could fall apart and fall into the hands of foreign powers. "For this reason, I call on the Somali people to stand up in unison to save the country and people, and to apply nationalism instead of tribalism to achieve national unity."

Although the TNG had achieved "some success" in the national reconciliation process, he said, continuing "external interference" in the country's internal affairs, the supply of arms to the warlords and the lack of support from the international community were "the main hurdles standing in the way of progress".

Hassan recommended that the forthcoming reconciliation conference be attended by the six Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) member states, as well as representatives from the UN, the EU, the African Union (AU), the Organisation of Islamic Conference, the Arab League, and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. He added that Somali regional authorities and civil society representatives should also participate in addition to the TNG and the warlords.

He called for the conference to effect the completion of the Arta peace and reconciliation process (under which the TNG was created), and not just another new conference.

In conclusion, he called on the UN Security Council and other international organisation to disarm Somali militia groups, and pledged that the TNG would abide by any resolutions adopted at the conference.