UN ENVOY: WITH SOMALIA ON VERGE OF 'GREAT THINGS, ' MORE INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE NEEDED TO SECURE GAINS

From: UNNews <UNNews@un.org>
Date: 12 Sep 2013 20:00:01 -0400
Subject: UN ENVOY: WITH SOMALIA ON VERGE OF 'GREAT THINGS, ' MORE
INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE NEEDED TO SECURE GAINS
To: news11@ny-mail-p-lb-028.ptc.un.org

UN ENVOY: WITH SOMALIA ON VERGE OF 'GREAT THINGS,' MORE INTERNATIONAL
ASSISTANCE NEEDED TO SECURE GAINS New York, Sep 12 2013 8:00PM While
praising the people and Government of Somalia, along with their
international partners, for being "on the brink of achieving truly
great things," the top United Nations Envoy in the country warned the
Security Council that overall success is not guaranteed and that "in
no sense at all is the Somalia 'crisis' over.

"Where we stand is […] precarious. We cannot afford to lessen our
focus or investment -- despite the many competing claims for our
attention in the rest of the world," said Nicholas Kay, head of the UN
Assistance Mission in Somalia, as he briefed the Council on the
Secretary-General's latest report on the situation in the country.

Before going into some detail on political and security issues he
began by answering the question he said that all the
Secretary-general's Special Representatives probably hear most: "Are
you optimistic?"

"The answer in my case is a resounding "yes," he said, adding that
behind the "twists and turns, the crises and the standoffs", Somalia
has the foundations for progress: the international community is
united behind a credible, legitimate federal Government.

"There are resources available to meet the most immediate needs; there
is the political will to compromise and manage disputes without
resorting to violence. And the Somali people I have met are tired of
war and deprivation, fed up with brinkmanship and predatory politics,"
said Mr. Kay.

He said that the core of Somalia's political challenge is simple to
describe, "even if rather difficult to solve." After 22 years of
conflict, power and control of resources and revenue have fragmented.
The strong centralist state has ceased to exist. Different regions and
different people now hold different bits of power, he said, adding:
"That's why Somalis have decided a federal model is the only system
that will work in this new reality."

Mr. Kay said that the task now is for Somalis to reconcile and agree
among themselves exactly how federalism will work in practice. "How
will they share power, revenue, resources and responsibilities in a
way that benefits all Somalia? These are difficult issues: but ones
which need political solutions," he said.

That is why in his first three months, he prioritized the need for
progress on the Constitutional review and constructive engagement with
the regions; travelling to Puntland, Somaliland and engaging closely
on the Jubba question.

He went on to tell the Council that the situation in the Jubba regions
was one of the most serious issues to face the Federal Government. In
early June, the risks were very high of a collapse in security and
political stalemate in Kismayo, as well as between the Jubba parties
and Mogadishu.

"However, an agreement was finally reached on 28 August in Addis
Ababa, under the active mediation of Ethiopian Foreign Minister Dr
Tedros Andhanom on behalf of IGAD, which set out interim governance,
security and economic arrangements," he said.

To the north, the relationship between Somaliland and Somalia remains
sensitive and fragile. Nevertheless, he said, there is progress to
report. With the mediation of Turkey, the two parties have had two
sessions of talks this year. The agreement on shared management of
airspace could be a model for other areas of mutually beneficial
cooperation. "We urge both sides to focus on solutions, however
modest, not problems," said Mr. Kay.

As for other progress he said that in less than a week, another key
building block of Somalia's stabilization will be put in place as some
200 delegates will gather in Brussels on September 16, hosted jointly
by the European Union and the Federal Government.

"The New Deal Compact is a Somali-led and Somali-owned set of
priorities, milestones to achieve them, making an architecture for
international support to Somalia, coordination and funding," he said,
but stressed that the true test of the Compact will be in how it makes
a difference in peoples' daily lives. "The UN in Somalia will play its
part to the full, especially in assisting the Government to coordinate
international assistance," he said.

Finally, he said that in terms of rebuilding a shattered state and
rescuing millions of people from conflict and poverty, "we are
standing on the very edge of great success." But, Mr. Kay urged the
Council to remain vigilant, stressing that the "crisis" was far from
over. "If we fail and Somalia slips back and Al Shabaab prevail, we
shall feel the security impact from Bamako to Bangui, and beyond
Africa. Their ideology respects no borders."

To get over the threshold and achieve great things, "we need more," he
continued, stressing that while much had been done, there are three
areas in which the international community must boost its efforts:
support for the Somali National Security Forces; enhanced capabilities
for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM); and thirdly, an
well-resourced and coherent UN role in the exit strategy for AMISOM.

"Working in Somalia is expensive; keeping our staff safe costs real
money. Ensuring success will cost more, but not very much compared to
what the international community has spent in Iraq, Afghanistan and
more recently Mali," Mr. Kay said.Sep 12 2013 8:00PM
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