S/PV.8215 Security Council

In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representative of Somalia to participate in this meeting. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Members of the Council have before them document S/2018/257, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

The draft resolution received 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2408 (2018). I wish to remind all speakers to limit their statements to no more than five minutes in order to enable the Council to carry out its work expeditiously. I give the floor to the representative of Somalia.

It is an honour for me to speak again before the Security Council today. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your country’s assumption of the presidency of the Council for this month. I wish to assure you of my delegation’s full support during your term in office. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank your predecessor, the Permanent Representative of Kuwait, for his outstanding work on his watch in the month of February. I appreciate the Council’s invitation and am pleased to be present here to witness the adoption of the very important resolution 2408 (2018), which I believe provides essential assistance to our Government and facilitates its policy of developing Somalia in the areas of political inclusiveness, governance, economic development and security, among other things. We welcome this unanimous adoption and appreciate the support and constructive engagement of Council members in committing to support Somalia and my Government’s efforts to tackle the many complex challenges it is facing. Though there may be nuanced differences in how Council members assess the current situation, we are united in recognizing the important role that the United Nations will continue to play in promoting peace and stability in Somalia. I believe that the resolution adopted this morning will ensure that the support of the United Nations and the Security Council, and in particular of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), for Somalia will be truly effective. We are also confident that the Security Council, the international community as a whole and other partners in the development of Somalia’s future will adhere to the principle that it clearly expresses, which is that the current national reconstruction efforts in which we are engaged in the Somali Republic must be Somali-driven and must be seen to be so. That said, we remain deeply concerned about comments that have periodically been made by senior UNSOM officials at conferences containing statements on political issues on Somalia that are sometimes erroneous. We are further troubled by the negative effects that these statements have in the Security Council and in Somalia. Those actions should not distract Council members from the challenges and issues on the ground. Accordingly, we strongly urge the UNSOM leadership to remain committed to carrying out its duties, as set out in the Mission’s mandate, and to refrain from sensationalizing political trends, which can be harmful to our current efforts in the Government- led political process, as well as to peace and political stability in Somalia. The Somali Government will continue to strive for unity and work to enhance constructive dialogue in order to settle the outstanding issues between the Federal Government and all regional authorities. Nonetheless, we cannot tolerate any unconstitutional decisions taken by regional authorities, including that of the north- western region of Somalia —Somaliland — since such actions may undermine Somalia’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, which are all guaranteed under our Constitution. In that regard, with our sights set on preserving the unity of Somalia’s territory and people, our Parliament voted to unanimously reject the United Arab Emirates- based Dubai Ports World agreement with the north- western regional authority of Somaliland and to commit the Government of Somalia to taking measures to secure Somalia’s unity and sovereignty under article 1 of our Constitution. Besides that, two years ago, the United Arab Emirates signed an agreement with Somaliland regional authorities to establish a military base in Berbera, without the consent of the Federal Government of Somalia. The Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea confirms in its latest annual report (S/2017/924) that construction of the new facilities is under way. The Monitoring Group further states that the establishment of a foreign military base in Berbera, involving the transfer of military material to the territory, would constitute a violation of the arms embargo on Somalia. These actions taken by the United Arab Emirates in Somalia are in clear violation of international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the norms of international relations and international cooperation. The Federal Government of Somalia therefore calls on the Security Council to take the necessary steps, in accordance with its mandate, to maintain international peace and security, put an end to those actions and ensure the implementation of its resolution on Somalia. The Federal Government of Somalia strongly condemns these blatant violations and reaffirms that it will take the necessary measures to deal with them, deriving from its primary responsibility to defend the inviolability of the sovereignty and unity of Somalia in accordance with the Somali Constitution and international law and covenants. I should not end my remarks without once again expressing to the Council the gratitude of the people and the Government of the Federal Republic of Somalia for the continued support of the United Nations in preserving the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country and guaranteeing its peace and political stability.