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| Administration Police Officer from the rapid deployment unit (RDU) keep guard in Karen the venue of Somali meetin |
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| Participants from Somali follow keenly the meeting progress |
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| Administration Police officers from the rapid deployment unit (RDU) in Karen on Saturday night as the meeting went on. |
INTERGOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY ON DEVELOPMENT
(IGAD)
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PRESS RELEASE
As military progress towards Kismayo continues a
complementary political track to secure the future of the Gedo and Juba regions
of Somalia has opened up. On the 28th
June 2012, the Transitional Federal government (TFG), Azaania, Ras Kamboni,
Ahlu Sunna Wal Jaamaa (ASWJ) and Harti group convened at the KCB leadership
Centre in Nairobi for a three day consultative meeting organized by Kenya,
Ethiopia and TFG under the IGAD joint committee.
The Karen meeting has secured the commitment of key
military and political actors to engage in a consultative process and reach a
negotiated solution on the appropriate governance arrangements for the region
thereby consolidating the battle against Al-Shabaab.
This is the first of several consultative meetings
that will bring together other key stakeholders from the region (all clans, the
business community and the diaspora). The participants of the meeting pledged
to work together with all stakeholders from the regions of Lower Juba, Middle
Juba and Gedo to negotiate interim arrangements for the formation of an
inclusive regional authority in line with the National Federal
STAKEHOLDERS’
CONSULTATIVE FORUM AT KCB KAREN LEADERSHIP CENTRE, NAIROBI, KENYA, THURSDAY, 28TH
JUNE TO 30TH JUNE 2012
STATEMENT
OF PRINCIPLES AND PLAN OF ACTION
As
military progress towards Kismayo continues a complementary political track to
secure the future of the Gedo, Lower and Middle Juba regions has opened up. On
28 June 2012, the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa
(ASWJ), Azaania, Harti group and Ras Kamboni, convened at the KCB Leadership
Centre in Nairobi for a three day consultative meeting organized by Ethiopia,
Kenya, and the TFG under the auspices of IGAD.
The
delegates after deliberations agreed on the following issues:
The
establishment of an Interim Regional Authority as a complementary political
track to military operations in the Gedo and Lower and Middle Jubba regions of
Somalia:
1.
Formation
of the Interim Regional Authority
That the interim regional
authority (Interim Authority) be established in line with the National Federal
Constitution to be adopted. The Authority shall:
· Be
made up of three regions (Lower Jubba, Middle Jubba and Gedo);
· Be
based on districts and regions;
· Have
three branches of government:
a)
The Executive
b)
The Legislative
c)
The Judiciary
· Have
unified security arrangements;
· Be
established before the end of Somalia’s Transitional Period in August 2012;
· Live
in peace and harmony with its neighbours, both within Somalia and the neighboring
countries.
2.
Process
a)
That the process be conducted
within the framework of the IGAD Grand Stabilization Plan and the National
Strategy for Reconciliation & Stabilization in the Newly Accessible Areas
of south central Somalia.
b)
That the process for the
establishment of the Interim Authority shall be consultative, inclusive,
broad-based and guided by the following principles:
· Democracy
· Justice
· Respect
for minority rights
· The
tenets of Islam and Sharia law
3.
Commitments
The delegates undertake
to:
a)
Take ownership of the process;
b)
Give unwavering support to the
process and implementation of its outcome;
c)
Take responsibility to create
awareness in Somalia and to mobilize support for the process among their
constituents;
d)
Resolve their remaining
differences peacefully and in a cordial and brotherly manner;
e)
Cease all hostilities and
negative propaganda;
f)
Move with urgency to avoid an
administrative vacuum;
g)
Continue to fight Al-Shabaab;
h)
Promote the rehabilitation,
reconstruction and recovery of the region
i)
Raise awareness of this
agreement, mobilize support among their constituents between the 2nd
and 8th of July 2012, and to prepare for the first meeting of the
technical committee
4.
The
delegates further undertake to:
a)
Establish a Technical Committee
to plan and guide the rest of the consultative process with a mandate to:
· To
engage other stakeholders in support of this consultative process
· To
work on a draft agenda
· To
agree upon the structure and process for negotiation, including representation, venues and timelines
· To
hold its first meeting on 9th July, 2012
b)
Nominate representatives to the
Technical Committee.
The
delegates further agreed that the culmination of the consultative process would
be a conference to establish the Interim Regional Authority before the end of
the Transition.
Acknowledging
that this meeting did not include all stakeholders, the delegates agreed to
leave the door open for other actors to join the process and the Technical
Committee.
The
delegates called upon the international community the AU, IGAD and the UN to
assist with the process.
The
delegates affirmed that the current National Transitional Period will conclude
in August 2012.
Constitution to be adopted.
