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{
    "id": 235605,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/235605/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 194,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Wetangula",
    "speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 210,
        "legal_name": "Moses Masika Wetangula",
        "slug": "moses-wetangula"
    },
    "content": " Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the issue that hon. Salat has raised has been of major concern to the region and to the African Union (AU). Once there is a UN arms embargo, we cannot even send the peace keeping mission to Somalia because the moment you arm them, you break the Security Council resolution. We are trying our very best. In September, our Minister for Foreign Affairs, hon. Tuju, was in the UN together with other AU Foreign Minsters. They talked to the Security Council, but they did not succeed in lifting the arms embargo. Yesterday, hon. Tuju held a meeting with the UN Secretary-General elect, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, the Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister of South Korea. He has already put him on alert that he is going to pursue the issue of lifting the arms embargo on Somalia with even greater vigour. You cannot even lawfully train and arm the police force that Kenya has so kindly offered. We have already trained 500 policemen and sent them to Somalia to give civil authority and protection to the Government. However, arming them is a problem because of this resolution. I would like to thank hon. Salat for raising that issue. We are fighting to have the embargo lifted. Again, as I said, all of us have a collective duty to assist our neighbours. Whenever you can, 3474 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES November 8, 2006 even the Committees of this House, you should engage everybody who is concerned, so that we can assist our neighbours. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the issue that Dr. Ali has raised, I would like to state that several initiatives have been undertaken to solve the problems in Somalia, the latest being the League of Arab States that held discussions in Khartoum. They have held Round I and Round II of the discussions. Round III was to be held on 30th of last month. I was, in fact, to go and co-chair the meeting, but the Islamic Court Union declined to join the discussions under the pretext that Kenya was supporting the TFG and, therefore, was possibly against them and that the environment was not conducive for discussions. They have since changed their minds and called us. They have called me personally and told me that they are ready to sit with Kenya as the Chair of the discussions between the TFG and themselves. Let me finish by assuring the House that the issues of the TFG, however weak one may see it, it is very critical for this region because this is the only internationally recognised structure of governance in Somalia. It is recognised by IGADD countries, the AU and the UN. If we let it fizzle out, we will rewind the clock on Somalia to 16 years back and start afresh. That will not be wise for the region and for anybody. Finally, I would like to thank hon. Ligale for bringing up this issue. I want to encourage him by telling him that we can even have a Committee of this House of volunteers. I have met hon. Billow in Mogadishu trying to play his bit to bring normality to our neighbours. We all have a duty to play and we can contribute towards this course."
}