Mr. President,

My delegation wishes to thank you for convening this meeting of the Council on Somalia. We think it is timely that the Council revisit the subject in this Chamber for an in-depth exchange of views on the situation in that country with the participation of the larger membership of the Organization. We would also like to thank Sir Kieran Prendergast, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, for his succint, yet comprehensive briefing. We have also benefitted from the equally useful briefing by the distinguished Permanent Representative of Djibouti, Ambassador Roble Olhaye to whom we express our appreciation.

2. For far too long, Mr. President, the international community has become disengaged from the tragedy in that part of the Horn of Africa out of, perhaps, its past disenchantment. Today, Somalia remains a dysfunctional or failed State. This state of no-war and no-peace prevailing in Somalia cannot be accepted on a permanent basis. As an expression of our support and solidarity with the hapless people of Somalia, we must exert every effort to explore avenues for a political settlement of the conflict in that unfortunate country. Our sense of fellowship with the people of Somalia demands that we become fully engaged once again with Somalia. It is true that our experience of involvement in the affairs of Somalia has largely been negative. We may want to forget the experience, Mr. President, but we should not discard the lesson. And drawing from the lesson of the past, our re-engagement with Somalia should be aimed, this time around, not at imposing a solution but to work with the Somali people to find a solution that is viable and acceptable to them—a solution in which they have a hand in crafting.

3. In this regard, my delegation warmly welcomes the peace initiative by the President of Djibouti. We commend President Ismail Omar Guelleh for his bold and timely initiative and his tireless efforts in promoting it out of his sincere concern at the situation in his neighbouring country and his commitment to bring a lasting political settlement of the conflict there. The initiative by Djibouti deserves the strong and unqualified support of the international community. Initiated by a concerned and close neighbour of Somalia, it is virtually home-grown. As Sir Kieran put it, "it is Somali-owned". It pursues a "bottom-up" approach, the preferred approach by the international community, focusing on the people—who really matter—not on the so-called leaders and warlords who, with their vested and selfish interests, have destroyed the Somali nation.

4.    We are gratified to note that the efforts of President Guelleh have borne some positive results and that with the support of members of Somali civil society there is now a glimmer of hope that at long last the civil war in Somalia could be brought to an end, thereby enabling Somalia to recover from a crisis of exceptional complexity which had led to the collapse of the state and had destabilised the entire region of the Horn of Africa. It will allow the reintegration of Somali society and a restoration of their traditional culture of tolerance and accommodation of which we have often been reminded. We are encouraged that the Somali National Peace Conference has now moved into its second phase. Malaysia welcomes this development and hopes that this will pave the way for substantive talks among representatives of all sectors of Somali society on the question of the political future of their country. We also hope that it will lead to an agreement on the formation of a transitional arrangement that would safeguard Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and at the same time, prepare the ground for a peaceful and lasting settlement. We are heartened to hear that in the past month or so, Somalis from every walk of life have been increasingly involved in the Djibouti-initiated peace process. They must be further encouraged by a manifestation of strong political and material support by the international community. This point was particularly underscored by Sir Kieran, just now.

5. My delegation believes that that a peaceful resolution to the Somali question would have a far-reaching stabilising effect in a region mired in conflict. The loss in human life in the Horn of Africa on account of conflict and famine has been enormous. The escalating cost of providing humanitarian assistance continues to divert resources—which are always short in supply—from more productive development efforts. It is, therefore, critical that all diplomatic means be exhausted in support of the Djibouti initiative. We would urge all Somalis to join and support the peace initiative. We are fully cognizant of the fact that the journey towards full and final reconciliation and durable peace in Somalia is likely to be unpredictable and arduous. We note that although the Somalia National Peace Conference is a significant step forward, it has been overshadowed by the conspicuous non-participation of some faction leaders who continue to disagree with the objectives of the meeting and the process of reconciliation which it has launched – presumably because they are no longer at the centre of the process. Clearly, the main stumbling block in the peace process is the continued intransigence of the faction leaders. These leaders should realize that they have had their chance to resolve the conflict but had failed miserably and that the people’s patience is at an end. They can no longer hold Somalia’s destiny to ransom. Nevertheless, because no lasting peace would be possible without internal reconciliation every effort should be made to bring these leaders on board the peace initiative. They must be urged - indeed pressured both internally by the people themselves and externally by influential actors - to put aside their personal and parochial ambitions and to join the peace process in the larger interest of the Somali nation. This remains a major challenge confronting the international community.

6. As part of this challenge it is imperative for the international community to deny these leaders of the means to wage war by continuing to maintain and to more vigorously enforce the arms embargo on Somalia, as established by resolution 733 (1992). We should be mindful that the civil war could not have been prolonged without the illegal flow and easy availability of arms into Somalia and to remind ourselves of our continuing responsibility in this respect.

7.    Malaysia continues to be deeply concerned about the dire humanitarian situation in Somalia and expressed its appreciation to the efforts of international aid agencies and other relief organizations which have provided succour to the people of Somalia. We condemn the continuing act of violence against humanitarian personnel and call on all armed groups to fully cooperate with humanitarian relief efforts and guarantee the safety and freedom of all aid workers.

8.    My delegation believes that it is fitting and timely for the Council to pronounce itself once again on the issue of Somalia and to reiterate its strong support for the efforts for a political settlement exerted by the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) and to endorse and support the Djibouti peace initiative. Its unambiguous support of the peace initiative will be a clear manifestation of the Council’s and the Organisation’s commitment and active involvement in the important area of peacemaking which we feel should best pursued in the current state of no-war no-peace in Somalia so as to prevent the recurrence of a full-blown war. That window of opportunity may not last long. We need to manifest the Council’s willingness to assume its responsibilities under the Charter and reinvigorate its role in partnership with the regional actors such as IGAD and OAU. We should not allow the Somali people to succumb to despair and helplessness. We must give them renewed hope and confidence for the future and strengthen their will to support the peace initiative without intimidation from their leaders. We must generate support for the dynamic that has been created by the Djibouti peace process and encourage and support its initiator and facilitator, President Guelleh, in his commendable and determined efforts. We cannot afford to be half-hearted in our approach. It is time, Mr. President, for the international community to get out of the "Somali Syndrome" that has affected us for so long for we cannot let the people of Somalia down.

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