November 11th 1993
London BBC World Service “Focus on Africa” program (in English) — 1515 GMT
Earlier this week, General Aidid’s Somali National Alliance, SNA, quit the security talks with the Americans and the United Nations (UNOSOM) in Mogadishu. But it is taking a long time to get them established, while American forces were gunning for Gen. Aidid. But now, there are reports that the SNA is prepared to rejoin the talks. On the line to Rome, Josephine Hazely asked SNA spokesman, (Nikelino Mohamed), if they were going to:
[Begin recording]
[Mohamed] We are going to the talks with the Americans and we are (prepared) because the Americans have said that they are going to resume the humanitarian job they had in Somalia. So we have told the Americans, we told them clearly, that we are avail- able, we are ready for this, to take part with them, to put up this security committee.
[Hazely] It was only three days ago or so or something like that that you announced that you would not attend the round table talks, now I mean why have you changed your mind?
[Mohamed] First of all, I must clear one point. Before we decided to walk out from the three-days-ago meeting of the security committee, the SNA had made it clear that they were ready to participate in these talks with the Americans. The UN having taken part themselves-the UNOSOM-in these talks, they have brought in some figures, some persons who did not represent movements, did not represent anything, but simply tabled that they wanted to be in the talks so the SNA delegation just stood up and walked out of the meeting. This is because we don’t want to have anything to do with the United Nations unless they specify, they clarify their position.
[Hazely] Now, but I mean what’s the point of talking to the Americans only if you refuse to talk to the UN that is part and parcel of what is happening in Somalia.
[Mohamed] Because you can’t understand what the UN is doing. They are saying they are still hunting the… [pauses] our leader, Gen. Aidid, and the leaders of the SNA, some of whom are already in prison by the UN in Mogadishu. Unless they leave these people, unless they clarify their position, how can they expect people to talk to them about security? What security? We don’t have security from UNOSOM.
[Hazely] Now, these security talks you are willing to get together with the Americans…
[Mohamed, interrupting] Yes.
[Hazely] Now, what is its exact aim?
[Mohamed] The aim is to allow the American troops to resume their humanitarian activities, that is the humanitarian aid to be given to the people in Mogadishu and around it.
[End recording]
FBIS-AFR-93-217, 12 Nov. 1993, p. 5.
The Somali History Archive 