27 Jan 27, 2009 - 5:18:09 PM
GAROWE, Somalia Jan 27 (Garowe Online) - Government leaders in Somalia's semiautonomous northeastern state of Puntland have warned that the Djibouti peace process might lead to deeper clan divisions, Radio Garowe reports.
Warsame Abdi "Sefta-Bananka," Puntland's new information minister, told a Tuesday press conference in the regional capital Garowe that Puntland supports all peace initiatives for Somalia.
Mr. Sefta-Bananka, Puntland's new information minister/Horseed
"As a matter of policy, we are a Somali federal state called Puntland, which supports stability in Somalia, recognizes national laws and welcomes the creation of an inclusive Somali Republic," Information Minister Sefta-Bananka said.
He spoke about Somalia's new parliament, which will be expanded to 550 seats under a peace deal with Islamists, saying: "We warn against new MPs [in expanded parliament] who have no support from the Somali clans, especially the people of Puntland."
Mr. Sefta-Bananka said there are only three politicians from Puntland currently in Djibouti who are part of the Islamist-led ARS opposition faction, but he did not name them.
Under the Djibouti Agreement, the ARS receives 200 out of the additional 275 seats in an expanded parliament that will elect a new president following last month's resignation of ex-President Abdullahi Yusuf, a former Puntland ruler.
ARS leaders had decided to divide the new 200 MPs according to the 4.5 formula, in accordance with the clan-based system the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) is based on.
The Puntland information minister's concerns echoed a letter Puntland President Dr. Abdirahman Mohamed "Farole" sent to UN Special Envoy to Somalia, Mr. Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, demanding appropriate representation at the Djibouti talks. READ: Puntland's new leaders want role in Djibouti peace process
In Somalia, the ARS and its core leadership is primarily seen as a political entity that is largely representative of the Hawiye clan-family, which is predominant in the central regions and Mogadishu.
The government of Puntland, home to the northern Darod clans, has not directly sent representatives to join the Djibouti peace process, which began in mid-2008 and is now in its final stage.
However, Puntland-appointed MPs have been part of the TFG parliament since its formation in 2004, as part of the regional authority's efforts to boost reconciliation and restore national order.
Many people fear the expanded parliament presents a threat to the federal system of government, largely seen as the only alternative to Islamist rule in Somalia.
Source: Garowe Online
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/pub ... alks.shtml
Allow alle ilaahey baa ino maqan. Gemini awoowo are you related to him?
