| Front Page |
Minister Warns Somalia Leaders
Nairobi, Tuesday, December 2, 2003 (East African Standard) – The international community is growing impatient with the pace of the Somalia peace talks, Foreign Affairs Minister Kalonzo Musyoka warned yesterday.
Musyoka said the world community was eager for progress in talks being held at the Kenya College of Communications Technology in Mbagathi, Nairobi.
"Without appearing to threaten the Somalia leaders, the world is slowly getting impatient with the pace at which the peace talks are going," he said.
Musyoka said the talks were at a critical stage, and urged factional leaders to be more serious.
"Most of the leaders keep violating their own agreement and unless we see more commitment, I can assure you people are not happy".
He was addressing a press conference in Nairobi after making a ministerial statement on a three-day workshop on strengthening peace initiatives and post-conflict reconstruction.
Musyoka announced that a 10-day Somalia leaders retreat, to be held in Mombasa from December 8, will be the final chance for the factions to strike an agreement on a lasting solution for their country.
"The retreat is firmly on and we are not giving the leaders any conditionalities. They are free to come up with the agenda of the meeting but after that, the world will be watching what step they take next," he said.
If the leaders fail to agree during the retreat, Musyoka said, the rest of the world may not be eager to take over from where the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (Igad), and especially Kenya, will have left.
Over 40 leaders, including the president of the Transitional National Government, are expected at the high level talks on when to move to Mogadishu to start creating a government.
Home | Contact us | Links | Archives