SOMALILAND
NEWS NETWORK. SNN. Go back to Somaliland News FrontpageMondayOctober 6th, 2003.
Somaliland Foreign Minister Addresses black American Political Association Convention in Los-Angles(CA) . |
. | Monday, October 6th, 2003 |
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Los Angles(CA)..USA. October 7th '03...SNN & SOPRI
...The Somaliland Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Adna Adan Ismail, addressed the 25th anniversary of Black American Political Association of California ( BAPAC) held at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday evening, October 4, 2003.
Among the participants of the large gathering attended by prominent national, state and local leaders, celebrities and writers were:
- Former Speaker of the California State Assembly, and current mayor of city of San Francisco, Mr. Willie L. Brown, Jr,
- Mr. Herb J. Wesson, JR., Speaker of the California State Assembly
- Community Activist, Mr. Danny J. Bakewell, Sr.
- Theodore S, Chadler, president & Vice President, Fannie Mae.
- Los Angeles City Mayor, Mr. Jim Kahn.
- Los Angeles City Councilwomen, Janice Kahn,
- Former governor of California and current mayor of Oakland, Jerry Brown.
- Arianna Huffington, syndicated columnist
- Jessie Jackson president of the rainbow coalition.
- Lieutenantt Governor of California Mr. Cruz Bustamante.
- Congress women Diane Watts.
and many other politicians. Among celebrity hosts were:
- Freda Payne - Singer/actress
- Hattie Winston,
- Ted Lange - Actor/comidian
- Glynn Turman - actor
- Marl Gibbs - actress
- Michelle Nichols.
- Sheila Frazier actress from (Star Trek)
- Dick Anthony Williams and
- Todd Bridges from (differnt Strokes)
and many others.
Following is Full Text of the speech of the Somaliland Foreign Misister, Dr. Edna Adan Ismail to the convention:
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is indeed a great honor for me to be invited to participate this highly prestigious occasion. I was humbled by your invitation and have accepted with pride on behalf of all Africans, and particularly on behalf of the women and children of my country.
First and foremost, allow me to convey to you that greetings and congratulations I bring you from the government and people of Somaliland on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Black American Political Association of California.
As you well know, the Horn of Africa, which is where I come from, has often been referred to as a chaotic trouble spot where warlords rule and bandits roam. I am sure that some of you have seen the highly prejudicial movie 'Black Hawk Down' which has portrayed the Somalis of Somalia as brutes whose favourite pass-time is killing.
Ladies and gentlemen let me clarify this from the outset: I do not come from Somalia. I come from the Republic of Somaliland, which is that peaceful, stable, democratic and independent country next door that very little is known about and whose achievements I am proud to present to you today.
Established as a British Protectorate in 1884, Somaliland was granted independence on June 26, 1960, by Royal Proclamation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. On the same day, the relevant documents establishing the transfer of sovereignty of Somaliland were deposited with the United Nations in accordance with United Nations procedures pertaining to Decolonisation. Immediately the newly independent country became recognised by 234 UN Member States, including the five Permanent Members of the Security Council. This made Somaliland the first Somali nation to become independent and also become a member of the United Nations.
Five days later, on the 1st of July 1960, our next door neighbour, Italian Somalia, also gained independence and untied with Somaliland thus making our country, Somaliland, the more senior of the two partners even though their act of union was never ratified by the parliaments of the two countries.
Regretfully, as in many partnerships, the initially hopeful union of the two young Somali countries ended in disaster culminating in decade of civil war between Somalia and Somaliland from 1982 to 1991. During that time, the military regime of the dictator Siyad Barre of Somalia perpetrated war crimes and acts of genocide against the people of Somaliland, killed a quarter of a million people, destroyed 90% of the cities of Somaliland, drove nearly half a million people from their homes, and littered the countryside with over one million landmines. These atrocities have been well documented by international forensic experts and are still visible today.
In 1991, after the troops of Somalia were ousted from Somaliland, our political and traditional leaders declared the 1960 union null and void and reclaimed the country's sovereignty.
Today, little more than twelve years later, Somaliland is a country of hope and determination. Mines have been removed, refugees have returned to their homes, tens of thousands of dwellings have been rebuilt, and major economic infrastructure have been repaired. In the last few years, foreign investors are increasingly taking interest in doing business in Somaliland. It is worth mentioning that World Bank preliminary studies have indicated that Somaliland has made a 250% economic growth during the last ten years. We wonder how many countries in the world can boast of a similar success story?
Above all, Somaliland is at present building a society founded on peace, democracy, justice, and the rule of law. In May 2001, an overwhelming majority of Somalilanders re-affirmed their support for their sovereignty in a Constitution entrenched in the Charters of the African Union and the United Nations. In December 2002, we held our First Local Government elections. Five months later in April 2003 we followed it by our very first Presidential elections where three political parties, peacefully contested the seat of the President of Somaliland. One month later, the National Electoral Commission and the Supreme Court of Somaliland confirmed the simple majority won by our President Dahir Rayale kahin.
We now wait for a date to be set four our first Parliamentary Elections. We hope that this will take place sometime next year after which time our country Somaliland would have completed a long and difficult transition from a traditional, clan-based political system to a stable multi-party democracy.
Among our many achievements we can boast about the good relations we enjoy with neighbouring states as the cornerstone of our foreign policy towards a more stable and prosperous Horn of Africa. A vivid example is that as we speak right now, 25,000 metric tons of Food Aid, destined for Ethiopia, are being transported safely from the port of Berbera in Somaliland all the way to Ethiopia by road without military escort and without a single sack or truck being looted or diverted.
Somaliland has chosen a system of free market economy, which seems to fully agree with the entrepreneurial spirit of the people of Somaliland. Consequently, our economic development has been very dramatic in spite of the repeated Saudi Arabian ban on the export of our livestock.
At first, the biggest investments were directed towards the reconstruction of private dwellings, shops, schools, ports, airports and other public property. Among the most impressive undertakings are the:
- Repair and reconnection of the Hargeisa water supply.
- Mansoor and Ambassador Hotels which are beautiful three/four star hotels favourably comparing with similar star hotels in the Horn.
- Reconstruction and rehabilitation of the well known Hargeisa Club
- Construction of villas and private houses at an amazing rate with elegant homes cropping up in different neighbourhoods around Hargeisa and the other major towns of Somaliland.
- Opening of Amoud and Hargeisa Universities.
- Reconstruction of the Airport of Hargeisa, Berbera, Burao, Borama and others.
- To give you an idea about our air traffic, Hargeisa airport receives 25 international flights on several days a week.
- Reconstruction and dredging of the port of Berbera.
- Reconstruction of the Hargeisa government Electric Power Plant.
- Repair of major artery roads and reconstruction of the bridges between Hargeisa and Berbera, Hargeisa and Borama, Berbera and Burao.
- Construction of market places and shopping malls.
- Construction of market places and shopping malls.
- Construction, establishment and expansion of private banks and money transfer businesses.
Several industries have also been set up:
- Several Aluminium factories for doors and windows
- Flour Mills
- Mineral Water bottling plants
- Soft drinks bottling plants
- Honey bottling
- Poultry Farming
- Bakeries and other catering businesses
- Nails factory
- Stone crushing industries and brick making
- Carpentry and furniture workshops
- Plastics factory
- Tailoring and clothing businesses
- Skins and hides
- you name it, we probably have it in Somaliland.
Our commitment to the peace and stability of the region includes unreserved respect for the unity and territorial integrity of states. We stand neither for cessation, nor for the revision of Africa's borders. Somaliland was among the First African States to be free from Colonial rule, and our demand for recognition implies full respect of the borders received at the moment of independence from Great Britain.
We are by no means the first African State to have entered into a voluntary union with another state and subsequently withdrawn from that union intact. Egypt and Syria, Senegal and Gambia, and Senegal and Mali have all done likewise. Nor is Somaliland the first African colonial entity to have asserted its separation and independence from another; Eritrea and the Sahrawi Republic are today both full members of the African Union.
Ladies and gentlemen, the people of Somaliland have made a clear choice. Independence and sovereignty for Somaliland are no longer a hope, but a reality. There is no turning back the clock. What remains are for the international community to come to terms with that reality and to arrive at the only possible and just conclusion: recognition of Somaliland as a rightful member of the world community of nations. No pleas, pressure or promises on the part of the international community can alter these basic facts.
Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you very much for your attention and wish your organization every success.
Adan H Iman
Hassan Hersi Mogeh.
.
Ahiman2@aol.com Somaliland Policy Reconstruction Institute "SOPRI", Los Angles(CA).
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