Ethiopia's
Incursion
into Somalia
Draws No UN
Comment,
Garowe
Sideshow?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 31 --
Now that
Ethiopia has
driving
further into
central
Somalia,
taking over
the town of
Beledweyne,
neither the
UN's
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon or the
Security
Council have
had
anything to
say.
Rather, Ban on
December 30
offered
fulsome praise
to the
so-called
Garoowe
Principles,
which are
subject to
some
detailed
criticism by
Somali
patriots.
Back
on November
25, Inner City
Press asked
Ban's
spokesman
Martin Nesirky
about
Ethiopia:
Inner
City
Press: given
the past
impact of
Ethiopia
entering
Somalia, the
reaction of
the populace
to it. Doesn’t
the UN, with
an envoy,
have some view
of whether
this is a good
thing or
should it come
to
the Council?
Is it a
positive step
for Somalia to
have the
military
involvement of
its close and
contentious
neighbor?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
Well, it is
not for me to
say what
should or
should not be
discussed by
the Council;
that’s for the
Council to
decide. As for
the meeting
that took
place, the
IGAD meeting
that you are
referring
to, obviously
we are aware
of that and we
are looking at
that. I
don’t have our
readout of
that yet.
Inner
City
Press: I just
want to
clarify. I am
not asking you
to say what
they should
discuss, I am
saying, in
upholding the
UN Charter,
should
the entry
militarily of
one country
into another…
previous
Secretary-Generals
have spoken on
that point, so
I think it’s
fair…
I am just
wondering if
there is any
statement by
this
Secretary-General
on this
incursion.
Spokesperson:
Yes I do, I
do, and I
think as we
have
mentioned,
with regard to
Kenya,
there was a
clear
understanding
between the
countries
concerned.
But
what about
Ethiopia?
There was
never any
response. When
Ban traveled
to Somalia,
Inner City
Press on
December 8
asked if he
would speak
about Kenya
bombing an IDP
camp -- there
was no answer
-- and on
December 9,
about
Somalis'
protest to UN
envoy
Augustine
Mahiga:
Inner
City
Press: Various
Members of
Parliament
there say that
they are
petitioning
Ban Ki-moon
about problems
they have had
with Mr.
Mahiga
and UNPOS,
saying that he
has violated
the
Transitional
Federal
Charter by
engaging
selectively
with parties,
and that they
don’t
consider him
an honest
broker. I
wanted to know
whether the
Secretary-General,
in his visit,
received such
a petition and
also
when he met,
whether or not
he has, what
he makes of
this criticism
by
parliamentarians
in Somalia?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
Well, I do not
know whether
such a
petition was
handed to
the delegation
or not. I am
sure that we
will be able
to find that
out. Mr.
Mahiga
obviously
enjoys the
full
confidence of
the
Secretary-General
in the work
that he does
in very
difficult
circumstances.
This
was
followed, on
December 30,
with Ban's
unqualified
praise of the
so-called
Garowe
Principles:
"The
Secretary-General
commends the
commitment by
Somali
political
leaders, as
outlined in
the Garoowe
Principles
adopted on 23
December, to a
clear process
and timeline
for the
finalisation
of the
draft
constitution,
the reform of
Parliament,
and the
conclusion of
the
transition."
Of
these, others
have noted
that powers
are being
transferred to
six persons
called
stakeholders–
three in the
TFC
(President,
Speaker, Prime
Minister)
and three
others (the
Presidents of
Puntland,
Galmudug and
an
alternating
representative
from Ahlu
Sunna Wal
Jama).
Decisions
prepared by
the UNPOS
under the
guidance of
the UN
Department for
Political
Affairs are or
will be rubber
stamped by the
six persons.
UNDPA is led
by American
Under-Secretary
General B.
Lynn Pascoe
and,
they say,
Assistant
Secretary
General
Taye-Brook
Zerihou of
Ethiopia.
And
so what of
this
failure to
speak of the
incursions
into Somalia?
We'll have
more on
this in 2012.
(c) UN Photo
Ban, PGA,
Mahiga &
UN staff,
comment on
incursions
& IDP
bombing not
shown
Footnote:
At
year end in
the US, a
drive to deny
funding to Al
Shabab has
resulted in
curtailing
wire transfers
and
remittances to
Somalis,
including via
Sunrise
Community
Banks.
This
collective
punishment has
some
wondering: the
Taliban now
have a legal
office in Doha
in Qatar,
which provided
assistance to
Ban's trip to
Somalia.
Why the
different
approach to
Somalia? Watch
this site.
, 
