Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un3somalia032108.html
UNITED NATIONS, March 21 -- The UN's envoy to Somalia Ahmedou Ould Abdallah on Thursday proclaimed that talks should be held with all parties in Somalia. Inner City Press had asked him about the United States' designation earlier in the week of the Al-Shabaab as a terrorist group. "I haven't seen the document," Ould Abdallah said, adding that talks should be held with all parties. Video here, from Minute 1:39.
Inner City Press asked South African Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo about the U.S.'s recent firing of missiles into Somalia, and whether the U.S.' designation of Al-Shabaab as terrorists will be helpful to dialogue in Somalia. Video here, from Minute 3:01. Kumalo responded combatively that the Security Council wants to move ahead, "rather than pick up on this thing or the next... on who's left handed and who's right handed, on who didn't go to church." Somalia, of course, is fundamentally Muslim, as is the Al-Shabaab. Pressed about the U.S. missiles, Kumalo said, "I'm not saying the missile attack was right... you can pick whatever you like, you have that luxury, I don't." Inner City Press interjected that, for the record, the press is not cavalier about suffering in Somalia. It is just skeptical of a sudden glowing report projecting 27,000 UN peacekeepers when the Council won't even discuss, much less rebuke, missile attacks on and an ongoing occupation of Somalia.
Inner City Press also asked Ould Abdallah about the reported incident in which a Somali member of parliament stated he was beaten by UNICEF's guards in Baidoa, an incident which UNICEF said would be investigated but regarding which no further information has been provided. Video here from Minute 4:44. Ould Abdallah in his response called this "unfortunate violence" and said that soon impunity will end. We'll see. Ould Abdallah further comments can be reviewed here.
