By Nitsuh Addis

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, June 1, 2007 – The National Somali Reconciliation Congress would be a social gathering- not political one- where by exclusively clans and sub clans would convene to forgive each other; forget the past animosity and atrocities and restore properties confiscated illegally, said Ali Mohammed Ghedi, the Prime Minister of the Transitional Federal Government of Somali.

In an exclusive interview with the SSI, the premier said, “Forgiveness and property restoration” would constitute the core of the deliberations and outcome of the congress. The Governance and Reconciliation Committee of the TFG is finalizing all the preparations to undertake the congress on June 14, he said adding that the former leader of the United Somali Congress, Ali Mahdi, would chair the congress.

“Political groupings and civil societies participated in the Kenyan process. The Mogadishu Congress is only for Somali citizens. And any one can participate if he or she denounces violence, recognizes the transitional Federal Charter and comes through clans and sub clans,” Ghedi noted. He assured the SSI that this time the congress would not be postponed whether international support is coming or not.

“Whether we get it or not, we will go on the schedule,” he said.

Asked about the status of Somaliland vis-à-vis the National Reconciliation Congress, the premier made it clear that his government is “giving priority to the rest of Somalia to be consolidated and pacified. Later on we will negotiate with our brothers in Somaliland for the unity of Somalia.” He also underscored that the TFG would negotiate with the “Somaliland Administration” for the cause of Somali unity.

It is to be recalled that the Somaliland community in Addis Ababa celebrated a fortnight ago their 16th Independence Day celebration. The premier noted that the fact that the Ethiopian government allowed them to do so shows Ethiopia respects all Somali citizens. “Our neighbors have all the right to treat Somali citizens-whether they are from Somaliland or elsewhere from Somalia. This is a respect; this is interaction in order to pave the way for dialogue and reconciliation nationwide,” he explained.

He, however, condemned a statement issued last week by the House of Elders of Somaliland warning people to boycott the reconciliation process saying Somaliland is not party to the process.

“It is an extremely undemocratic statement from Somaliland. The administration there may have its position but the clans and sub clans in Somaliland have their own authorities; they have their own traditional leadership. And if we send invitation to all the clans and sub clans, I am positive that they will attend the congress in Mogadishu,” he said.

Ghedi further condemned the Asmara regime for its continuing destabilizing activities in the Horn of Africa. “Isayas Afeworki is the core of the problem for his country and the region,” he said adding that “the man [Isayas] is the last remaining dictator in this part of the continent.”

Ghedi expressed his gratitude to the Ethiopian people and government for the “most expensive gift” ever given to the Somali people. “The most expensive gift someone can give you is blood and Ethiopians and their government have donated their blood for the cause of Somalia,” he said.

Ghedi, 56, attended the University of Mogadishu 1977–1978 and attended the veterinary school at the University of Pisa in Italy 1979–1981. He afterwards became an assistant lecturer and later head of the veterinary department at the University of Mogadishu from 1982 to 1991. When the University closed due to the Somali Civil War, he became a special advisor and consultant to regional livestock groups, including the USAID-funded Red Sea Livestock Trade Commission (RSLTC).

Source: The Sub-Saharan Informer