Somalia’s President visits EU headquarters in Brussels

Somalia took a fresh step in its return to the international fold on Wednesday (January 30^th) with a high-profile visit by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to the EU. The visit came just a few days after the Somali government was recognized by the United States. An EU official said the visit symbolized a highly significant shift in the way the world saw Somalia and Somalis saw the world, adding that "We want to encourage Somalia, say we are with them, that we take them seriously."  At the 27-nation EU headquarters in Brussels, President Mohamud met with EU President Herman Van Rompuy, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton and the President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso as well as visiting the EU Parliament the following day and meeting EU Foreign Ministers. The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, announced on Wednesday that the EU planned to host a global conference in the autumn, aiming to “come up with a New Deal for Somalia that will help deliver political, security and development support”. During her discussions with the President, Lady Ashton noted that the 95% drop in piracy off the Somalia coast and the beating back of Al-Shabaab insurgents over the last two years were indications that Somalia had come a long way. She announced “a new era” in ties between Somalia and the EU. The European Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso, welcomed the agreement reached between Somalia and the EU "to enhance relations" and expressed the EU's belief that "there is a real commitment to go forward". The EU president, Herman Van Rompuy, said President Mohamud’s visit, his first to Europe, came as Somalia was on a "path to transforming and taking its rightful place in the community of nations".


President Mohamud said Somalia now needed to move from being a country “in relief” to one in recovery. Somalia could not do this alone and his Government needed the support of the whole international community and in particular the support of the European Union. He said Somalia needed an engagement that looked like the Marshall Plan, the US-funded plan to rebuild Europe after World War II. The EU has provided nearly 600 million Euros to Somalia over the last five years in the areas of defense, diplomacy and development, and has trained some 3,000 Somali troops since 2010. Last week it extended its training mission for another two years at a cost of around 11 million Euros. The EU’s anti-piracy mission off the Somali coast, EUNAVFOR, has also been extended until December 2014.


President Mohamud repeated his plea for support from the European Union to the European Parliament during his visit to the Parliament on Thursday. He told the parliamentarians that: "Now we have a better government and parliament, trying to do their best, but we are here because of European help. We are grateful for our traditional partner, and would like to request further support, especially of the European Parliament, to make our legislative organ strong and capable." The Somali president visited Parliament to discuss the current situation with members of the foreign affairs and development committees. He also met the European Parliament President Martin Schulz, who congratulated him on “undertaking the first, important steps in the very difficult task of state-building, bringing peace and improving the daily life of the Somali people." The two men welcomed the possibility of exchanges between the European Parliament and Somalia's parliament, and Mr. Schulz added: “The stability of Africa is also the stability of Europe."


Following his visit to the EU, President Mohamud is travelling to Britain which is also planning to host another international conference on the future of Somalia on May 7^th. There is growing speculation that similar initiatives may be proposed by other states, and some concern has been expressed over possible duplication of initiatives. This has happened in the past and led to developments and assistance falling short of expectation.


Meanwhile, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, said “Somalia is beginning to undergo profound transformation”. It is, he added, a new chapter in its history. He made the statement during a visit to Mogadishu this week where he met with senior Government officials, including Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon, the Speaker of the Somali Parliament, Mohamed Osman Jawari, and members of the UN country team and UN staff serving in Mogadishu. During his visit, Mr. Feltman expressed the United Nations readiness to "continue to assist in any way possible at this critical time”. He said he was inspired and encouraged by the program being organized by the Somali Government which "has both vision and a practical plan to implement it". He said the Somali authorities "have truly taken ownership of the process" and noted that the role of partners including the UN is to do "their utmost to support the Somali authorities, across the board and without hesitation". Mr. Feltman encouraged the Somali authorities to continue with dialogue and reconciliation. He pointed out the importance for the Somali Government to take necessary measures to strengthen the promotion and protection of human rights including sexual violence against women. His discussions also focused on the future of the UN presence in Somalia and the need for a better coordinated and coherent approach by the international community to support the new phase of peace-building. Mr. Feltman’s visit follows the announcement by UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, at the African Union summit in Addis Ababa at the weekend that he would be proposing to the Security Council the establishment of a new UN peace-building presence in Somalia, as part of the efforts to strengthen the UN-AU partnership on the ground.