By Hassan Yare
Saturday, February 03, 2007
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BAIDOA, Somalia (Reuters) - Somalia's new speaker of parliament was sworn in on Saturday, replacing a man ousted for reaching out to Islamist rivals defeated by government and Ethiopian troops in a brief war in December.Former justice minister Shiekh Adan Mohamed Nuur "Madobe" -- who politicians say is favoured by President Abdullahi Yusuf -- was elected speaker on Wednesday, taking over from Sharif Hassan Shiekh Adan, voted out of office on Jan. 17.
"I swear to carry out my duties sincerely and in the interests of my country, my people and my religion," Madobe said holding a copy of the Koran aloft at his inauguration.
"I promise to lead parliament and respect the law, and to take part in the reconciliation of the country," he added.
Madobe called on absent lawmakers to return to Somalia, in an apparent appeal to a group of MPs allied to the former speaker currently in neighbouring Djibouti.
Analysts regarded Adan's impeachment as a move by Yusuf and Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi to consolidate power and exact revenge against one of their biggest opponents, disliked for championing talks with the Islamic Courts Council which held power in Mogadishu until late December.
Some diplomats criticised Adan's sacking, saying Yusuf's interim government had missed a crucial postwar opportunity to become more inclusive in a country divided along clan lines since warlords toppled a military dictator in 1991.
"Parliament has found a true leader who will lead it on the right way," Prime Minister Gedi told the house.
Yusuf briefed parliament on plans to hold a broad reconciliation conference of clan and religious leaders, saying he hoped it would take place within three weeks.
PEACEKEEPING FORCE
Supported by Ethiopian soldiers and weapons, the government drove out the Islamists who had held the capital Mogadishu and other parts of southern Somalia for six months in a two-week war.
As the interim government, which was not popularly elected, tries to cement political control of Somalia, African leaders are struggling to muster an African Union (AU) peacekeeping force for one of the world's most dangerous countries.
The U.N. Security Council urged the AU on Friday to quickly send troops to Somalia to allow Ethiopia to withdraw its forces and the government to lift its emergency security measures.
Highlighting the continued threat of violence in the country, a policeman was shot dead in Mogadishu on Saturday.
The city has suffered a spate of attacks on Ethiopian and government positions, which some blame on remnants of the Islamists, who had vowed to carry out a guerrilla war.
"Definitely, this act of terrorism has been carried out by people who oppose the government. We will do everything to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice," deputy defence minister Salad Ali Jelle told Reuters by telephone. (Additional reporting by Guled Mohamed in Mogadishu)
Source: Reuters, Feb 03, 2007