Somalia's President gets roaring welcome in Garowe (photos)

[barakaboy10]

barakaboy10 I ask that you withdraw the strong language that you use towards our great president, who restored peace to Mogadishu and brought the puntland under firm control.

I look forward to your kind cooperation.

my friend union, are you serious?

your plea is kinda making me want to be less critical of this guy but i am afraid i can't change my position because simply he's what i had mentioned above. if i had the impression that someday he will make a good leader, i wouldn't have uttered such thing ever. but to tell you the truth, i lost all confidence in this guy who you call president. when he was first elected, i was one of those who stood up and defended him and encouraged people to give him a chance. over the years, i have been an observer, never saying anything bad about him. but all that changed when farmaajo joined his team. the inspiring, honest looking guy turned into a hungry warlord whose only aim is to preserve, protect and prolong his position using all means necessary. months after it was all resolved, i looked the other way and forced myself to forget all about it. then this latest development came, not shocking to me personally because, from the get-go, i knew this guy was behind the whole episode of voting out Shariif Hassan from his position. to the outside world, just disgruntle mps gathered enough vote and threw him out. but to many people around the world, including me, that couldn't be far from truth. this has been a well-planned, well-thought attempt to derail the currently on-going peace and reconciliation conference in Garowe, Puntland. he also wanted to get even with Shariif sakiin for what had happened during farmajo era. in addition, his dislike of president farole is no secret and he envies the good working relationship between shariif sakiin and president farole. all in all and among other things, sheikh shariif's ultimate goal is to keep his position and would do whatever he had to in order to hold onto it.

the sad thing for him, however, is that none of his plans seem to be working. the conference in Garowe is being held and shariif sakiin is still the speaker of the parliament with majority consensus. so now i say to you, mr. union, do you still want me to apologize for offending your great president?

[Somalian_Boqor]

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Somalia Constitutional Conference opens in Puntland capital
21 Dec 21, 2011 - 7:37:32 PM

GAROWE, Somalia Dec 21, 2011 (Garowe Online) - A well-organized event attended by the top leaders of Somalia opened Wednesday in the capital of Puntland State, in northern Somalia, Radio Garowe reports.

The event marking the opening of the Somali National Consultative Constitutional Conference in Garowe was attended by TFG President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, TFG Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gas, TFP Speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden, Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole and Vice President Abdisamad Ali Shire, and Galmudug leader Mohamed Ahmed Alin.

Representatives from pro-government Ahlu Sunna group, based in central Somalia, were also present as signatories of the Roadmap adopted by TFG, TFP, Puntland, Galmudug and Ahlu Sunna.

Foreign dignitaries included UN Special Envoy to Somalia, Augustine Mahiga, and his deputy, Mr. Christian Manahl.
Puntland government forces have secured Garowe airport, where the delegations from Mogadishu, Galkayo and Nairobi have flown in since Monday.

The conference is being held at the conference hall of Puntland State University in Garowe.

Puntland President Farole

Abdirahman Farole, Puntland’s leader, offered the opening remarks and his speech focused on efforts to restore Somalia’s dignity.

President Farole welcomed all the delegations to Puntland State and thanked the conference organizers and participants.

“Today is a historic day. The Somali people are waiting for us to deliver a meaningful outcome for this important conference,” said Puntland’s leader. He urged parliamentary reforms to be implemented, in accordance with the Roadmap timeline, in order to end the transition by 20 August 2012.

President Farole emphasized the importance for federalism in Somalia, saying: “Federalism, as ordained by the Transitional Federal Charter, is a pre-condition for the renaissance of the long-awaited Third Republic of Somalia.”

The Puntland leader talked about the political developments in Puntland State, saying that Puntland was advancing towards a multi-party political system.

President Farole praised the African Union peacekeeping force (AMISOM) in Mogadishu and called on the AU and the UN Security Council to approve the deployment of AMISOM peacekeepers in Galkayo, Puntland State.

Further, Puntland’s leader once again welcomed the Kenyan Army’s intervention in Jubba regions of southern Somalia, while commending the visit to Mogadishu earlier this month by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon.

On piracy, President Farole announced today that the Puntland Government is planning to resume a training program for the Puntland Maritime Police Force.Resuming the training program is “in line with the TFG-Puntland Cooperation Agreement of 29 August 2011, which called for the establishment of a Somali Marine Force,” said President Farole, adding: “The formation of the PMPF is in direct response to multiple U.N. Security Council Resolutions and urgent calls from the international community, calling on Somali authorities to build security and law enforcement institutions to address the piracy problem.”

UN Special Envoy

Ambassador Mahiga, the UN Special Envoy to Somalia, offered brief remarks and delivered a message from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon.

"The Secretary-General has a message for Somalia: 1) implement the Roadmap; and 2) complete the Federal Constitution,” said Ambassador Mahiga, who announced that he would fly to Addis Ababa and return to Garowe tomorrow.

“The Secretary-General has delegated me to attend a meeting in Addis Ababa where discussions are focused on expanding AMISOM forces to areas outside of Mogadishu,” said Ambassador Mahiga.

TFG Prime Minister

Somalia’s Prime Minister, Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gas, offered a prepared statement in both Somali and English languages.

He expressed his thanks to the government and people of Puntland State for hosting the conference and for taking full responsibility for the security.

Prime Minister Gas stressed the importance of federalism in Somalia and urged all Somalis to work out differences peacefully and lawfully.

The TFG Prime Minister highlighted the Roadmap as a document that leads towards ending the transitional period on time, in August 2012.
He expressed hope that the conference will produce a positive outcome for Somalia.

“The Somali people are expecting us to agree to a Constitution. This is the time to act,” said the TFG Prime Minister.

TFP Speaker

Parliament Speaker Sharif Hassan thanked the people of Puntland State who welcomed the delegations and thanked the Puntland Government for hosting the conference.

The Speaker’s speech focused on forgiveness and tolerance. He urged Somalis to forgive each other and to work together towards saving Somalia.

“Our country has suffered and continues to suffer. We must work together to save our people,” said the Parliament Speaker.

He underlined that the Somali stakeholders are committed to implementing the Roadmap.

TFG President Sharif

The TFG President, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, thanked the people and government of Puntland State for hosting the conference.

“I am very proud of Puntland State for maintaining security. I am happy to take part of this conference,” said the TFG leader.

He spoke about federalism, saying: “Somalia undergone different phases. In our current phase, federalism is a must. The debate could be ‘what type of federal system.’ The conference delegates will debate such issues.”

Continuing, he said: “Security, political and social developments must run parallel to each other. We can see the light of hope. This is the time to continue our efforts and to strengthen our unity.”

TFG President Sharif spoke about the renewed dispute in the TFP, as dissident MPs stormed into parliament hall in Mogadishu earlier Wednesday. “It is unfortunate that disputes continue to emerge, as our plan is to move forward. Somalia needs a constitution because there can be no government without a constitution.”

TFP Speaker Sharif Hassan and TFG Prime Minister Gas stood next to TFG President Sharif as he delivered his speech, in a sign of solidarity among the leaders from Mogadishu.

The Somali Constitutional Conference was delayed a number of times but has opened in Garowe. The Conference is slated for Dec. 21 – 23, 2011, and organizers hope the outcome will lead to the emergence of an agreed-upon Somali Federal Constitution, in order for the transitional period to end by 20 August 2012.

In September 2011, the Roadmap was formally adopted at the National Consultative Conference in Mogadishu, attended by the Somali stakeholders who signed the Roadmap.

GAROWE ONLINE

[Somalian_Boqor]

BRIEFING NOTE on The Constitutional Conference in Garowe and the Roadmap.
Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:51:53 -0500 am -05:00 -18000
21 December 2011

The Reconciliation and Constitutional Conference in Garowe, Puntland, marks another step towards the implementation of the Roadmap for Ending the Transition in Somalia by discussing and agreeing to the constitution-drafting and adoption process.

• The meeting includes President Farole, President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, Speaker Sharif Hassan and Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, Ministers of the Somali Government, representatives of Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama’a (ASWJ), Galmadug, 3 of the 9 Committee of Experts, some Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), UN, IGAD, Economic Commission (EC) and a number of Parliamentarians.

• The development of a constitution for Somalia is central to a wider series of reforms and actions, required to be implemented under the Roadmap. They fall under the four headings of Security; Constitution; Good Governance; and Outreach and Reconciliation.

• The Roadmap was discussed and adopted at a Consultative Meeting in Mogadishu on 6 September 2011. The meeting in Garowe is expected to consider recommendations produced on parliamentary reform, hold discussions on reconciliation initiatives and agree on the next steps for the constitution-making process.

• Currently, many hundreds of pages of feedback on the current draft constitution have been received and are being considered by the Independent Federal Constitution Commission (IFCC). Once a final draft is drawn-up (the Roadmap requires) a Constituent Assembly (to) will discuss and adopt the draft constitution. Political reform will take place step-by-step and must bring together all the major political factions in Somalia in order to build lasting peace and stability.

In addition to the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs), representatives from the regional administrations of Puntland and Galmadug; the ASWJ; representatives from the business community, the professions, religious leaders, elders, youth and women’s groups have been included in consultations.

• To carry forward the next stages of the constitution-building process the Government has appointed a nine-member Committee of Experts and the Prime Minister intervened to ensure that it works with the IFCC.

• The Government has appointed a Committee to carry out the process of setting up an Independent Interim Electoral Commission which would oversee the Constituent Assembly, which in turn, would eventually adopt the draft constitution.

• Looking towards an electoral process for Somalia and in order to enhance representativeness in Government, the Council of Ministers have set up bodies to deliver the relevant processes.

• Building on the growth of security in Mogadishu, the Somali Police and National Somali Security Agency conduct regular patrols and man checkpoints in the city. The National Security and Stabilisation Plan (NSSP) is currently awaiting approval from Parliament.

• The Government has supported the establishment of local peace-building initiatives in Galmudug, Himan and Heeb, Puntland and Gedo.

• In the humanitarian sphere, the Government has established coordination mechanisms to help improve the delivery of aid, including a Coordination Office in the Prime Minister’s Office and a Disaster Management Agency.

• The Council of Ministers have agreed to re-establish the Bureau for the Investigation of Corruption and the Interim Commissioners are currently undergoing vetting processes.

Challenges remain. Deadlines have been missed but work is continuing and gradual progress is being made. There have been difficulties in the areas of national reconciliation, declaration of an Economic Exclusion Zone (EEZ) and increasing transparency in governance.

Delays have often been due to inadequate capacity, agreement on means of implementation and resources.

[Somalian_Boqor]

sheikh shariif doesn't deserve such lavish welcome because he's just an idiot who doesn't know an ounce of what he's doing. i think farole is making a grave mistake in welcoming this guy and his cronies into Puntland with open hand.

ONLY SHARIF HASSAN would DESERVE SUCH LAVISH WELCOME FROM PUNTLAND OFFICIALS AND ITS PEOPLE.

You right, Puntland should have stick to its denunciation of Sh. Sharif when he was illegally selected in Djibouti by an expanded TFG parliament thanks to the then bias and corrupt UN special representative of Somalia Ould-Abdallah. In any case the opportunity for Puntland to correct Ould-Abdallah's doing's and reform the TFG and its parliament of 550 MPs is here. Don't let the way Puntland rolled out the red carpet for the two face moron (Sh. Sharif) fool you, Farole and his ilk are just playing mind tricks on simpleton's that's all.

If any one comes to mind of the delegations flowing into Garowe deserving of the red carpet Puntland rolled out it's Sharif Hassan, with him on board Puntland has manage to send the condom (Farmajo) packing and put the two face moron whose days are numbered on check.





Sharif Hassan