Somali President Meets
with the Italian Foreign Minister.
Rome, Italy, July 19, 2010) The Somali
President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed met this evening with Italian
foreign Minister Franco Frattini. President Sharif was
accompanied in today’s meeting by ministers of foreign
affairs, defense, post and telecommunications, the Somali
ambassador to EU and Italy and the director of communication
at the Presidency.
The two officials discussed the best
ways to strengthen the half-a-century old close relationship
between Somalia and Italy as well as how Italy could play a
leading role in the ongoing international efforts intended
to help Somalia resist the Al Qaeda takeover plots as well
as helping the country tackle the effects of twenty-years of
devastating conflict.
President Sharif briefed Minister
Frattini on the institutional building efforts of the
Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, particularly in
the security sector (which is indispensable for protecting
the citizens and creating an environment conducive for
development.
In this regard, Italy pledged to
train one thousand Somali police officers; they have also
promised to help the Somali government fight piracy,
minister Frattini furthermore informed the Somali president
that Italy will help the rehabilitation of the seat of the
Somali Parliament, Somali ministries, particularly the
ministry of health, and will spend 5 million euro on various
developmental projects.
The fact that Italy has began to
stamp visas on Somali passport and that President Sharif is
scheduled to meet tomorrow with his counterpart Giorgio
Napolitano is a clear signs of the renewed warm relationship
between Italy and Somalia.
Minister Frattini pledged that Italy
will lobby on behalf of Somalia in all international
institutions that Italy has a voice, be it the UN Security
Council or the European Union, particularly the need for
donors to honor their commitments to the Somali people and
to their government.
On his part, President Sharif spoke
at length about the double challenges that the TFG faces
which he described as fighting with one hand with Al
Qaeda-connected local terrorist group and providing services
and rebuilding state institutions -- which were out of
commission for over twenty years.
President Sharif thanked minister
Frattini and the people and government of Italy for the
assistance it had already provided, their new commitments as
well as the immense political and diplomatic support it
provides to the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia.
_____
Communications / Warfaafinta
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