Somalia: 'Govt Has No Local Support', Says Italian Deputy Foreign Minister

 

Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu)

21 May 2007
Posted to the web 21 May 2007

Aweys Osman Yusuf
Mogadishu

Italian deputy foreign affairs minister, Patrizia Sentinelli, who paid a visit to the East African nation, Somalia last Saturday, explained that the Ethiopian backed Somalia interim government, led by president Yusuf, does not enjoy the popular support of its population.

"I believe the transitional government can not perform its duties due to lack of local support and the different political groups in the country do not feel represented in the government," she said, according to Sawa Radio

The deputy minister indicated that she was optimistic the Somali government would implement good governance, peace law and order in the war-ravaged country.

"The Somali government violated its constitutional laws several times in the past and that only makes the political standoff in the country quite worse," she added.

Sentinelli arrived in the Somalia capital on 19 May to urge the government to establish peace and reconciliation which president Yusuf pledged to hold in Mogadishu next month.

Experts fear the timing of the national reconciliation would give the government a hare work as routine bomb explosions on government soldiers and bureaucrats take place in Mogadishu.

She encouraged the government to stabilize the country, stressing that Ethiopia should pull its troops out of the country soon and allow the African Union troops take the positions.

While in Mogadishu, she said the Italian government would partially fund the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia.

The same promise was made by EU commissioner for the Horn of African affairs, Michele Cervone, who was with the delegation led by Sentinelli on Saturday.