Prime Minister Geddi urges more people to attend reconciliation conference

Mugadishu, Saturday, July 28, 2007 Simba Radio

Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Gedi said that the door is still open for everyone to take part in the national reconciliation conference, which started on July 15.

"We are still waiting for some opponents of Somalia to join the conference. We appealed them and we are still appealing them to join the conference for the sake of the Somali people," Gedi told a press conference at the Addis Ababa-based African Union headquarters.

He said all opposition parties were given pardon and amnesty by the transitional government to participate in the conference at Mogadishu , capital of Somalia , except a few leaders of the Union of Islamic Courts, whose name is in the international terrorist list, like Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys.

"More than 1,500 delegates from all over Somalia and the Diaspora are participating in the reconciliation conference which is aiming to establish everlasting peace in Somalia , a war-torn nation for the past decade and half," said Gedi, who was here on a working visit.

"Our partners, neighboring states, the African Union (AU), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the international community have been optimistic and pessimistic about the reconciliation conference. Now we think that the participation is full and come up with positive achievements," he said.

"As a government, we are optimistic that the conference will have positive achievements which will continue till setting up a federal constitution endorsed by the federal parliament," he said.

The Somali prime minister said that the establishment of political parties, conducting census, establishing electoral commission for the planned 2009 elections are the major objectives of the reconciliation conference.

To reach these goals, it needs a government which is solid and has strong foundation and active participation of Somalis in and out of Somalia , he said.

Gedi called on the international community to continue its support for the transitional government to restore peace and stability in Somalia .

"The issue is not only a Somali issue. It is a regional and global matter. Africa is committed and the African Union is committed to deploying peacekeeping troops in Somalia . We ask the donor community to stretch its hands to help the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) financially and logistically," he said.

He said that AMISOM can play dual roles in Somalia by protecting the Somali people and building the capacity of the Somali national forces.

"We are committed to establishing our forces but we cannot do it alone," he said