African leaders on Wednesday deplored the ongoing violence in Somalia and called on the international community to help stabilize the country.
Speaking during the 13th Extra-Ordinary Summit of The Inter Governmental on Development (IGAD) Heads of State and Government in Nairobi, the leaders warned that the situation in Somalia was deteriorating and there was need to take urgent steps to save the country from sliding into total anarchy.
Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki reaffirmed Kenya's commitment to the realization of a stable and peaceful Somalia.
Kibaki emphasized that Kenya in collaboration with her development partners, will continue to discharge her international obligations towards maintenance of peace in the war-ravaged Somalia.
"Regrettably however, political deadlock in the Somali Parliament continues to be an obstacle to full implementation of key elements of the Addis Ababa Leaders Accord," said the President.
He also emphasized that it was imperative for IGAD member states to develop a regional maritime security policy framework in collaboration with the international community and come up with practical mechanisms to enhance security in the region's coastline.
Kibaki whose country hosted the protracted Somali peace talks that culminated into the formation of the transitional government noted that the Transitional Federal Charter comes to an end in September 2009, and called for urgent solutions to avert instability in the country.
President Kibaki said the Transitional Federal Government leadership and institutions must embrace compromise and agree to work together to create viable institutions in Somalia in the remaining interim period.
"When the Transitional Federal Government was formed four years ago here in Nairobi, its overall mandate was to constitute functional transitional federal institutions to stabilize the security situation, review the constitution, conduct a population census and hold democratic elections by 2009," he said.
President Kibaki called for the full implementation of the Djibouti Agreement and the Leaders' Accord so as to set Somalia on the path of positive reconciliation and national security.
The new accord which was signed in neighboring Djibouti sees Ethiopian troops leaving strategic areas of Somalia starting next month and has them replaced first by African Union troops from Uganda and Burundi, and then later by a joint "police force".
But significantly, the Somali leaders have also agreed to form a "unity government" including politicians from both sides.
President Kibaki called on all the Somalia leaders to put aside their differences for the sake of peace, stability and the welfare of their people saying there were no gains derived from continued fighting.
The IGAD chairman and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi expressed the need for Africa, the UN and the international Community to step up their efforts to secure peace and stability in Somalia.
Zenawi thanked Uganda and Burundi for heeding the IGAD call by sending peace keeping troops to Somalia.
IGAD Executive Secretary Mohamoud Maalim saluted Kenya for its commitment to peace and stability in Somalia.
The Summit included President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, President Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti, President Abdulahi Yusuf of the Somali Transitional Federal Government of Somalia and Sudan's first Vice-President Salva Kirr mayardit among others.
Source:Xinhua
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