Secretary-General Ban welcomes selection of new Somali president
1 September 2012 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
today welcomed the selection of a new president for Somalia, the
final step in the war-torn East African nati on’s political
transition process.
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was selected as President of the Federal
Republic of Somalia on Monday, following a vote which involved two
rounds of balloting in the country’s so-called New Federal
Parliament in the capital, Mogadishu.
“The selection of the new President brings an end to the eight-year
political transition. The Secretary-General congratulates the New
Federal Parliament and its Speaker for the peaceful and orderly
conduct of the process,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said in a statement
“He also pays tribute to all the signatories of the Roadmap for
Ending the Transition for th e important role they have played to
bring the process to a successful conclusion,” the spokesperson
added, while also noting that the UN chief congratulates Mr. Sheikh
Moham ud on his selection.
After decades of warfare, Somalia has been undergoing a peace and
national reconciliati on process, with the country's transitional
governing arrangements coming to an end with the selection of a
president – a key and final part of the so-called Roadmap for Ending
the Transition, which Somali authorities had been implementing.
Monday’s selection marks the culmination of a series of landmark
steps contained in the Roadmap. These include the adoption of
Somalia’s provisional constitution, the establishment of the New
Federal Parliament and the appointment of that body’s Speaker.
“The Secretary-General encourages the new President to move
expeditiously, to appoint an inclusive, accountable Government that
can begin the work of peacebuilding in the country,” Mr. Ban’s
spokesperson said. “He urges Somali and international actors alike
to pledge their continued support.”
He added that the UN chief looks forward to the upcoming high-level
meeting on Somalia in the margins of the General Assembly later this
month, which will be “an opportunity for So malia’s new leadership
to consolidate the partnership with the international community.”
The Secretary-General also thanked his Special Representative for
Somalia, Augustine P. Mahiga, and the staff of the UN Political
Office for Somalia (UNPOS), as well as the African Union Mission in
Somalia (AMISOM) and other stakeholders for their “tireless and
dedicat ed work” in support of the peace process in Somalia.
Earlier Tuesday, Mr. Mahiga and his deputy paid a courtesy visit on
President Sheikh Moha mud in Mogadishu, congratulating him and
pledging to support the new Somali Governme nt.
According to an UNPOS news release, they also “paid tribute to the
integrity and quality of the process, which was both representative
and transparent,” and President Sheikh Moha mud indicated that he
was looking forward to work with the United Nations.
In a statement on Monday night, Mr. Mahiga said that while much
remains to be done in the war-torn country, Somalis can be proud of
the transition process that culminated in the selection of a new
president.
“The transition is over – Somalia must now focus on stabilization,
reconciliation and buildi ng sustainable and accountable
institutions of governance capable of providing services to its
people,” the Special Representative said.
He added, “We salute all candidates regardless of the outcome. I
call on the winners to be magnanimous in victory, the losers to be
gracious in defeat and for all to lead Somalia forward to a brighter
day. All Somalis must now reconcile for the good of the nation at
this remarkable moment in the country's history.”
For several years until last year, most of Mogadishu was riven by a
fluid frontline dividing the two sides – Al Shabaab fighters and
Government troops, with the latter supported by the UN-backed AMISOM
forces. Displaced by fighting and drought elsewhere in the countr y,
some 184,000 people have sought humanitarian relief in the city.
Since the Al Shabaab withdrawal from the capital's central parts in
August last year, the frontlines have been pushed back to the city's
surrounding area. However, the use of roa dside bombs, grenades and
suicide bombers still take place, as do armed clashes.
Since late May, AMISOM, Government troops and their allies pushed
into the Afgooye corri dor, outside of Mogadishu, and also gained
control of the town of Balad, located within an important
agricultural area near the capital.
Source:UN
|