BAIDOA, Somalia Jan 18 (Garowe Online) - The new Prime Minister of Somalia, Nur "Adde" Hassan Hussein, has said that he is willing to step down from the post if a nation-wide reconciliation process reaches such a conclusion.
Prime Minister Nur Adde responded to many questions live during a BBC Somali Service interview on Friday, with callers from inside Somalia, Europe and North America.
Somali PM Nur Adde: Man of reconciliation?
The Somali premier responded to all the callers' questions in a soft-voiced, patient manner.
He reiterated his government's top priorities, mainly: to establish an environment of peace, to engage in nation-wide genuine reconciliation and to facilitate the deliver of humanitarian assistance to the needy.
National presidential and parliamentary elections, which are slated for 2009, will be held as scheduled throughout Somalia, according to Prime Minister Nur Adde.
He said his new government, composed of 18 Cabinet ministers and five deputies, will "go to Mogadishu very soon."
But his statements on national reconciliation were most profound, saying: "Reconciliation is open to everyone, and we will start with civilians at the village level. Then, opposition forces will be welcomed and we are willing to meet them at any reasonable location with no preconditions."
He repeatedly appealed to the opposition to accept his calls for reconciliation: "The opposition has a right [in this country] and a responsibility [to this country]."
On the question of Ethiopian troops, Prime Minister Nur Adde clearly stated that the Ethiopian army will remain in Somalia until "the Somali people come together and reach a decision that this is their country, that this is one country and one people, and that it is vital they understand each other."
Foreign troops will not be in Somalia forever, "even if the [Somali] government wants them there forever," according to the Prime Minister. "This [staying forever] is not possible because foreign troops can do very little for you [people of Somalia]."
He indicated that a national reconciliation process is a must for Somalia. If, at the conclusion of such a process, the Somali people demand Ethiopia's withdrawal, then: "I believe that they [Somalis] need not say more."
"But as long as we [Somalis] are divided, then the current problems will continue. That is why we want our appeal for reconciliation accepted," he told the BBC.
One caller asked Prime Minster Nur Adde if he would step down in the spirit of achieving national reconciliation and peace.
"Yes, I am willing to step down. This seat is not special for me, but I am here for the people's duty. If the solution came this afternoon, I am ready to step down [now]," he said.
On the fate of political prisoners and jailed journalists, the Prime Minister said his government will do things much different than his predecessor.
"We know the value of journalists and we welcome criticism, for we do not see this as a crime," he said.
A woman related to Ahmed Dirie, spokesman for the Hawiye Council who was arrested last November, asked the Prime Minister if he knew whether or not Mr. Dirie was alive.
"As far as I know, Ahmed Dirie is alive. The only problem is that he is not free, which we hope to fix immediately," he said, while underscoring that his government will take measures to ensure that former Attorney-General Yusuf Ali Harun, who was arrested last September on corruption charges, is released soon.
On Somaliland's unilateral declaration of independence, Prime Minister Nur Adde declared that "the unity of Somalia is sacred. This is known to all."
But he welcomed Somaliland's progress, saying: "We congratulate Somaliland for achieving peace and development, as an administration and as a people. But aggression against another Somali town is something we warn against."
Source: Garowe Online
