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Djibouti Quits Peace Talks
Julius Bosire
Nairobi, October 20, 2003 (The Nation): It accuses Kenya and Ethiopia of high-handedness in Somalia negotiations Djibouti yesterday pulled out of the IGAD technical committee negotiating peace for Somalia, accusing Kenya and Ethiopia of high-handedness.
The Djibouti ambassador, Mr. Ismael Goulal, told journalists in Nairobi that member states had failed to adhere to the objectives of the peace process.
He cited lack of neutrality on the part of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development team, which is overseeing the process, as the main reason behind the move.
The talks, mediated by Kenya's Mr. Bethuel Kiplagat, sidelined some key personalities, Djibouti claims.
The country, at the same time, said it would not recognise a Somali government that would result from the talks.
Mr Goulal said Kenya was playing a one-man show in the process and creating more tension among Somali citizens.
Although Djibouti had raised its concerns over the trends in the discussions going on at Mbagathi in Nairobi, Kenya had failed to address problem, he said.
He added: "Ambassador Kiplagat decided to hold a plenary session one morning, while he was aware that the Khartoum delegates were arriving in the afternoon, thus edging them out of the day's business".
While the international community responded to Djibouti's concerns by telling it to remain in Nairobi, Kenya remained mum, he said. "We believe that despite our passion for peace in Somalia, things are not going in the right direction, and we completely withdraw from the talks," Mr Goulal said.
He said the international community would not make things work out when the host and coordinator was not willing to have things changed.
He said Djibouti had been sensitising the international community and Somalia itself on the dangers they were heading for. There were further divisions and mistrust between Somalis and the Igad committee, he said. The talks have taken a year since they started in Kenya. They draw delegates from several factions, led by warlords and with observers from various diplomatic missions.
The draft federal charter signed in July has divided delegates into two, with some threatening to pull out.
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