Business community demands role in peace process

The Somali business community has demanded a role in the ongoing peace talks in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

The call came during a two-day workshop for the Somali Business Council (SBC), held last week in Dubai, and jointly organised with the Center for Research and Dialogue (CRD), an affiliate of the War-Torn Societies Project International, according to press statement.

Sharif Ahmad Shino, the SBC chairman, told IRIN that the group comprised members from all Somali clans, and had come together "to see how best we can contribute to the reconciliation process".

"We have members from all clans, who can bring pressure and influence political leaders," he stated.

Jibril Ahmad Abdulle of CRD told IRIN that any future government in Somalia was unlikely to succeed in establishing itself without the support of the business community. "Without their support it is next to impossible to get a government going," he said. "So it is logical to have them involved."

Sharif said the business community, more than any other group, wanted a stable government.

"It is good for business," he pointed out. "We now pay for our security, electricity, water and all the other things a government is supposed to do. This means a lot of overhead costs for businesses, which cut into our profit margins. We would rather pay taxes and leave all that to the government."

He added that the participation of the business community in the talks could "bridge the gap between the political groups".

"We can make our economic muscle felt for the good of our country. That is why we should be at the reconciliation talks," he said.

A regional analyst involved in the peace talks told IRIN it was a good idea to involve the business community.

"They can bring a great deal of pressure, political and economic, to bear upon their respective clan leaders. I am surprised that they have not been invited up to now," he said.