Shabait.com (Asmara)
8 September 2007
editorial
Asmara — Starting Thursday September 6, Asmara has been hosting a significant and historic congress aimed at promoting understanding and reconciliation among the entire Somali people.
Over the past 16 years the Somali people had been victimized by prolonged and violent civil war which had brought on clan-based division and conflict and nearly destroyed the feelings of nationhood and patriotism. The untold agonies the Somali people had suffered during this chaos are an embarrassing history for a world that prides itself on its humane and modern principles.
The 'Federal Transitional Government' that gained power in Mogadishu through an illegal invasion is itself a part and extension of the civil war by the Somali warlords. In an attempt to enforce this unwelcome government on the Somali people, regional and international forces had in the past nine months of invasion killed thousands of civilians, displaced millions more and plunged that country into further turmoil and violence. Now the time has come for the international community in general and the Somali people in particular to gain valuable lessons from the destructive past experience and work on finding a comprehensive political solution that leads to national reconciliation and the reconstitution of the Somali nation. The basic objective of the Congress in Asmara the liberation and reconstitution of Somalia, but its immediate target is to create a common understanding that could secure final and sustainable solution.
Emanating from the Somali people's support and cooperation with the Eritrean people's liberation struggle, the Eritrean government's stand regarding the Somali case is and will always be clear and precise. The Eritrean policy in this case comprises no other ulterior motive except the desire to help create grounds for understanding and dialogue as well as to provide political support so as to enable the Somali people settle their differences on their own and live peacefully once again in a united country. It is not difficult to understand the contribution which national reconciliation and reconstitution of Somalia will have on regional peace and stability.
The Government of Eritrea would like to point out that the US led TPLF invasion of Somalia will have a dangerous consequence on the Horn of Africa and that the Somali case should be left for the Somalis to solve on their own. It is with this understanding that the Eritrean government is exerting efforts to create grounds for dialogue. International peace and stability being its founding objective, the UN and its agencies should call for an end to external interference in Somalia and encourage the constructive internal political initiatives. Victory to the Congress for Somali Liberation and Reconstitution!
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