Somalia: UN supports President’s efforts to form new cabinet

The top United Nations envoy for Somalia today declared full support for President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed’s efforts to form a new, “more effective,” cabinet following differences in parliament, and called on international donors to speed up funding for the war-torn country.

“The President, in the face of a long and unnecessary crisis diverting resources, energy and attention, has taken an appropriate and courageous initiative to resolve the predicament,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah said in a statement five days before a major global conference on Somalia in Istanbul, Turkey.

“I would like to take the opportunity to encourage him in his show of leadership and invite all members of the Somali Parliament and former cabinet to support him. This is an opportunity to appoint a more effective cabinet that, I hope, will be able to significantly advance the Djibouti peace process through improved delivery of services to the suffering Somali population and increased accountability.”

He was referring to a 2008 peace accord signed in neighbouring Djibouti between the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) that was meant to pave the way for the cessation of all armed conflict across a country that has had no functioning government for nearly two decades and has been beset by factional violence, most recently with Islamist militants.

Noting that the President had accepted the resignation of Parliament Speaker Sheikh Aden Madobe, Mr. Ould-Abdallah said he would like to see the former speaker accept the invitation to join the new Cabinet.

“The President can count on the backing of the United Nations and the international community at this present juncture,” he added. “I caution manipulators and profiteers not to interfere with the current situation.

I invite the international community to lend serious concrete support to the President and his future cabinet. To that end, more flexibility is needed in the disbursement of international assistance to make it timely and more effective.”

Last week, Mr. Ould-Abdallah told the Security Council that the Istanbul conference, convened by the Turkish Government and Mr. Ban, would address security issues and global threats including piracy, and also provide a platform for the Somali private sector, international business and Governments to launch new initiatives for reconstruction and job creation.

“We all look forward to seeing President Sheikh Sharif at this important event,” he said today.