| Somali
News |
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
Remarks by the British Ambassador to Somalia, his excellency, matt baugh during Iftar held on Nairobi Arbaco 15 August 2012 SMC
Remarks by the British Ambassador to Somalia, his excellency, matt baugh during Iftar held on As the British Ambassador to Somalia, let me welcome you all to this iftar. I am delighted to be here with so many friends to mark the holy month of Ramadan. Muslim communities and celebrations are an integral part of our culture in the UK. And there has been no better demonstration of this unity than during the recent Olympics. I have been in London over the past couple of weeks, where I watched and listened with awe how the Somali Olympic Team was welcomed across the UK: in Northern Ireland, Bristol, Manchester and London. It is a matter of huge pride that the London Olympics included two such courageous and committed Somali athletes, Mohamed Hassan Mohamed, and Zamzam Mohamed Farah. Like all of us, I am also extremely proud of Mogadishu-born Mo Farah’s double Olympic triumph: the athletic highlight of a truly global Olympic Games. Mo is an outstanding ambassador for the UK and Somali communities around the world. Ramadan reminds us that the values of Islam – charity, community, cooperation – are ones that we all share. Nowhere do these values matter more than in Somalia, where our abiding aim remains to help Somalis improve the future of their country. Thanks to these Somali-led efforts, a tremendous amount has been achieved. I warmly welcome the recent adoption by the National Constituent Assembly of the new Somali provisional constitution. This process has been more inclusive and more representative; combined with the significant progress on security there is a potential sea-change in the situation in Somalia. Now therefore is the critical moment - when the Somali parties must work together to ensure the integrity of their process and that it is legitimate and credible in the eyes of the Somali people. But with ownership comes responsibility. I fully share the serious concerns expressed by the UN Special Representative, the AU and IGAD last week that there are some who may be attempting to derail or delay the process through bribery, corruption and intimidation. My appeal therefore is simple - that the parties work together to ensure that this is not allowed to happen, that the timetable stays on track. It is vital and necessary that the quotas for women’s participation are achieved. I also want to reaffirm our commitment to hold to account those who seek to derail this process. Last weekend we had yet another tragic reminder about why Somalia needs greater stability. The murder of yet another Somali journalist, Mohamud Ali Key, was shocking. He was the seventh journalist to have been murdered in Somalia since last December. Somalia has an unprecedented opportunity to take a new road towards an era of cleaner, more effective, more accountable government; of greater stability; and of a brighter future. The end of this Transitional period is the first step along that road. So as Ramadan draws to a close, let us hold on to our shared values and achieve our common aim of greater peace and prosperity in Somalia. After two decades of conflict, the Somali people deserve nothing less. Thank you. ENDS Abdilatif Maalim| Communications Officer- British Office for Somalia|British High Commission |Upper Hill Road, Nairobi | Tel: +254 20 2844292 Fax:+254 20 2844088 | Mob: +254 723040125 125 | FTN: + 8300 3292 Visit our blogs on: http://blogs.fco.gov.uk Follow us on Twitter @UKinsomalia Maxamuud Axmed Xasan
Somaliweyn Media Center (SMC)
Somaliweyn Media Center (SMC)
|
