Members of the Council of Ministers and the
Transitional Federal Parliament in Mogadishu
PRESS STATEMENT
The Italian Diplomatic Delegation for Somalia in Nairobi
circulated statement outlining the attitude and policy stance of
the Italian Government towards the divisions of the Transitional
Federal Institutions. The statement is based an interview which
Senator Alfredo Mantica, Deputy Foreign Minister of Italy, gave
to an Italian reporter of ANSA. In the statement, the Deputy
Foreign Minister confirms his lobbying efforts in Washington
(US), New York (UN), Bruxelles (EU) for the Italian Government’s
strategy of supporting the Jowhar wing of the Transitional
Federal Government. The statement quotes Senator Mantica to have
said
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‘The International community does not
play just the role of observer, but is an actual
protagonist. For this purpose the EU, the UN and USA share
the Italian position, which reflects and supports the
position of IGAD and African Union.’
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‘The (notion of) TFG (Government) is
outside the logic of warlords (ministers) and those among
them in Mogadishu,’ who constitute an internal opposition
(the Mogadishu wing of the TFG.
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‘You (Italy and the Jowhar wing of the
TFG) can not work with a Speaker and members of Parliament
who joined the internal opposition.’
The statement of the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Government
of Italy comes when the two wings of the TFG have agreed to meet
and are engaged in delicate discussions of the agenda of the
meeting and where and when to meet. The substance of the
statement of Senator Mantica confirms Italy’s delusion that
Italy and its representatives have special status in
international deliberations on Somalia and in the internal
Somali political discourse.
The Special Envoy of Italy to Somalia and Italian Government
representatives in deliberations of the members of the community
in Nairobi, EC and EU have consistently rejected the need for a
coherent and unified international support to sustaining and
completing the process of national reconciliation. Instead,
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Italy and its representatives have argued
that the reconciliation process has been completed and
campaigned and lobbied for the Jowhar wing.
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Italy provided logistic and material and
financial support to the Jowhar wing.
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Italy funded the delivery of vehicles for
the use of militia of the Jowhar wing.
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Italy provided funds for efforts to
organize administration and install officials loyal to the
Jowhar wing.
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Italy has used and continues to use its
leverage in the EC and EU to release EU assistance to
support and create a favourable political and diplomatic
climate for the Jowhar wing.
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Italy successfully campaigned in
cooperation with the Jowhar wing and Ethiopia and Yemen to
undercut the international support for dialogue and
reconciliation and the mediation efforts of the Special
Representatives of the UN Secretary General.
Senator Mantica arrogantly claims international acknowledgement
of Italy’s leading role and dismisses those Somalis who
criticize his envoys intrusion into the internal Somali
political disputes or reject any special status for Italy in
international deliberations on Somali affairs.
In a blatant and naked attempt to discredit the Mogadishu wing
of the TFG and undermine the tentative steps towards dialogue,
the Deputy Foreign Minister promises the Jowhar wing that ‘by
January 10, the ‘EU is expected to approve a document which will
formalize EU (Italian) strategy and that similar developments
are expected from the USA and the UN.’ The message to the Jowhar
wing is clear ‘ hold out for total victory against the Mogadishu
wing until January 10 and Italy will deliver.’
Finally, Senator Mantica betrays his whispering and ill-informed
campaign in Bruxelles when he declares ‘Yes, there might be an
alliance between the internal opposition (Mogadishu wing of the
TFG) and Islamists to reject this Government and any
Government.’ The evidence he cites is the regrettable
desecration of the Italian cemetery in Mogadishu in January 2005
and the patriotic December 11 demonstration against the negative
Italian role in the internal Somali political disputes. What the
Senator fails to acknowledge is that Italian intelligence
operators arranged to purchase the remains of the cemetery from
the Islamists he now demonises and who will use the Italian
funds for their next operation.
In the absence of a national reconciliation and the resolution
of the disputes between the two wings of the TFG, Italian
‘assistance’ to the Jowhar wing of the TFG like the payments for
the cemetery remains will be vulnerable to corruption and
misuse. The members of the Transitional Federal Institutions in
Mogadishu prefer dialogue and reconciliation among the Somali
people to any Italian assistance. By their actions, Senator
Mantica and his Special envoy in Nairobi have rejected the
neutrality of the European Union and the mediation of the
international community and in doing so have disqualify Italy as
a friend of Somalia and a partner in the Somali reconciliation
process.
The members of the TFG in Mogadishu are fully aware of the
positions of the United States Government and the United Nations
Security Council, both of which on record as supporting dialogue
and reconciliation between the two wings of the TFG. As far as
we know, the members of the European Union have also endorsed
the position of the UN Security Council.
19 December 2004
Mogadishu, Somalia
