The return, next week, of the Somali government is a prelude to development and rehabilitation, writes Mahmoud Murad Next week yet another attempt will be made to restore stability in Somalia, a country torn by 15 years of civil war, military intervention, and foreign meddling. The Somali parliament -- 275 members -- is to meet in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, which is now serving as a temporary government headquarters, within days. President Abdullah Youssef Ahmed, Prime Minister Alim Mohamed Jidi, and Somali officials are already in Nairobi. The parliament is expected to pass a vote of confidence in the government and agree on its plan for the return to Mogadishu and the start of a national programme for the reconstruction and development of Somalia. The government is due to return to Mogadishu next week. Al-Ahram Weekly has talked to Somali Information Minister Ali Mohamed Feki and Health Minister Abdul-Aziz Sheikh Youssef, who were in Cairo to attend a conference organised by the regional office of the World Health Organisation on the ethics of the medical profession from an Islamic perspective. The two ministers expressed the wish of Somali President Col Abdullah Youssef Ahmed to visit Cairo and hold talks with President Hosni Mubarak. The visit was already scheduled but the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat changed its itinerary. The Somali president came to Cairo, attended the funeral, and left without holding talks. The Somali information minister said that all the political forces and national figures in the country are concerned over the future of the country and determined to turn a new leaf. The reconciliation conference held in Nairobi was a historic achievement, the minister said. The conference led to genuine reconciliation, due in part to the involvement of such organisations as the Arab League and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). In implementation of the resolutions of that conference, a parliament was formed last August. The 275- member parliament represents all national forces and clans, Feki said. The interim government has elected Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adam for speaker and two other members as deputy speakers. On 10 October, and as the parliament became operational, Col Ahmed was elected an interim president of Somalia for a term of five years. The president then appointed Ali Mohamed Gedi to head the interim government. The government's composition -- of three deputy prime ministers, 35 ministers, and 49 ministers of state and deputy ministers -- ensures that all Somali factions are represented. The government, as Gedi said, is one of reconciliation and is therefore composed in a manner that maintains factional balance in the country. The government's programme, due to be presented to the parliament within four days, involves four main goals. First: To bring back all the government agencies and powers to the country; namely, to the capital Mogadishu. Second: To restore security and stability all over Somalia and disarm the militia and re-integrate its members within society. Third: To begin reconstruction and restore Somalia's status in the regional and international communities. Fourth: To rebuild state institutions and infrastructure. According to the two ministers, the government and the president will be in office for a transitional five- year period, during which the country will have a permanent institution and political parties. At the end of the transitional period, general elections will be held. The information minister told Al-Ahram Weekly that Somalia has long suffered from the neglect of the international community and that it is time the Arabs would react to the Somali tragedy in a more helpful manner. Somalia, Feki said, needs numerous projects, institutional assistance, and political and financial backing. Health Minister Sheikh Youssef, for his part, said that Somalia needs medical supplies and expertise from Egypt, as well as assistance in rehabilitating hospitals. Somalia, he added, has a shortage of experts and medical doctors in various specialisations. Egyptian help is also needed in rebuilding the civil service, the minister added.
