Remarks With President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud After Their Meeting
Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Treaty Room
Washington, DC
January 17, 2013
SECRETARY CLINTON:
Good afternoon, everyone. It is a great privilege for us to be
welcoming President Hassan Sheikh and his delegation here to the State
Department. Today’s meeting has been a long time in the making. Four
years ago, at the start of the Obama Administration, Somalia was, in
many ways, a different country than it is today. The people and leaders
of Somalia have fought and sacrificed to bring greater stability,
security, and peace to their nation.
There is still a long way to go and many challenges to confront, but
we have seen a new foundation for that better future being laid. And
today, we are taking an important step toward that future. I am
delighted to announce that for the first time since 1991, the United
States is recognizing the Government of Somalia.
Now before I talk about what comes next for this partnership, it is
worth taking a moment to remember how we got here and how far we have
come together. When I entered the State Department in January 2009,
al-Shabaab controlled most of Mogadishu and south and central Somalia.
It looked at the time like it would even gain more territory. The people
of Somalia had already endured many years of violence and isolation,
and we wanted to change that. We wanted to work together, not only with
the people of Somalia but with governments across the region, the
international community, and other likeminded friends.
In early 2009, the final Transitional Federal Government began its
work. Somali security forces, supported by the African Union Mission in
Somalia, and troops from Uganda and Burundi and now Kenya and Djibouti
began to drive al-Shabaab out of cities and towns. Humanitarian aid
finally began getting to the people in need. Local governments resumed
their work. Commerce and travel began to pick up. Now progress was
halting at times, but it was unmistakable. And today, thanks to the
extraordinary partnership between the leaders and people of Somalia,
with international supporters, al-Shabaab has been driven from Mogadishu
and every other major city in Somalia.
While this fight was going on, at the same time, Somalia’s leaders
worked to create a functioning democratic government. Now that process,
too, was quite challenging. But today, for the first time in two
decades, this country has a representative government with a new
president, a new parliament, a new prime minister, and a new
constitution. Somalia’s leaders are well aware of the work that lies
ahead of them, and that it will be hard work. But they have entered into
this important mission with a level of commitment that we find
admirable.
So Somalia has the chance to write a new chapter. When Assistant
Secretary Carson visited Mogadishu in June, the first U.S. Assistant
Secretary to do so in more than 20 years, and when Under Secretary
Sherman visited a few months ago, they discovered a new sense of
optimism and opportunity. Now we want to translate that into lasting
progress.
Somalia’s transformation was achieved first and foremost by the
people and leaders of Somalia, backed by strong, African-led support. We
also want to thank the African Union, which deserves a great deal of
credit for Somalia’s success. The United States was proud to support
this effort. We provided more than $650 million in assistance to the
African Union Mission in Somalia, more than 130 million to Somalia’s
security forces. In the past two years, we’ve given nearly $360 million
in emergency humanitarian assistance and more than $45 million in
development-related assistance to help rebuild Somalia’s economy. And we
have provided more than $200 million throughout the Horn of Africa for
Somali refugee assistance.
We’ve also concentrated a lot of our diplomacy on supporting
democratic progress. And this has been a personal priority for me during
my time as Secretary, so I’m very pleased that in my last weeks here,
Mr. President, we’re taking this historic step of recognizing the
government.
Now, we will continue to work closely, and the President and I had a
chance to discuss in detail some of the work that lies ahead and what
the government and people of Somalia are asking of the United States
now. Our diplomats, our development experts are traveling more
frequently there, and I do look forward to the day when we can
reestablish a permanent U.S. diplomatic presence in Mogadishu.
We will also continue, as we well know, to face the threat of
terrorism and violent extremism. It is not just a problem in Somalia; it
is a problem across the region. The terrorists, as we have learned once
again in the last days, are not resting, and neither will we. We will
be very clear-eyed and realistic about the threat they continue to pose.
We have particular concerns about the dangers facing displaced people,
especially women, who continue to be vulnerable to violence, rape, and
exploitation.
So today is a milestone. It’s not the end of the journey but it’s an
important milestone to that end. We respect the sovereignty of Somalia,
and as two sovereign nations we will continue to have an open,
transparent dialogue about what more we can do to help the people of
Somalia realize their own dreams.
The President had a chance to meet President Obama earlier today at
the White House, and that was a very strong signal to the people of
Somalia of our continuing support and commitment. So as you, Mr.
President, and your leaders work to build democratic institutions,
protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, respond to humanitarian
needs, build the economy, please know that the United States will be a
steadfast partner with you every step of the way. Thank you.
PRESIDENT HASSAN SHEIKH: Thank you.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you, sir.
PRESIDENT HASSAN SHEIKH: Thank you, Madam Secretary, for the
great words that you expressed on the realities on the ground in Somalia
and the future of Somalia and the future of the relationship between
Somalia and the United States.
First of all, I would like to thank the Government and the people of
the United States of America for the warm welcome accorded to me and to
my delegation for the last two days. I am very pleased and honored to
come to Washington and to meet Madam Secretary to discuss on bilateral
issues and the mutual interests of our two countries. And Somalia is
very grateful for the unwavering support from the United States to the
people of Somalia. U.S. is a major donor to Somalia, which include
humanitarian assistance and help toward security. We both have common
interests and common enemy, which we must redouble our efforts to bring
peace and stability in Somalia.
Somalia is emerging from a very long, difficult period, and we are
now moving away from the chaos, instability, extremism, piracy, an era,
to an era of peaceful and development. We are aiming to make a valuable
contribution to the region and the world at large.
Today I provided an update of the huge progress made in the areas of
security, political development, social services, and establishing
reliable and credible governance institutions to Madam Secretary. This
is an excellent time to me to visit the U.S.A. and to meet with U.S.
leaders here in Washington, as Somalia is entering a new phase which
requires from all of us to work hard with a very few to bring peace with
a heart and view to bring peace and stability in Somalia.
Today, we had fruitful and frank discussions on many subjects that
are of mutual interest to all of us and to the world at large. I am
encouraged by the (inaudible) the energy, the willingness of interest
shown to me and my country, and I am hopeful that Somalia will reclaim
its role in the international landscape and play a more active and
useful member of the nations of the world.
We are working for a Somalia that is at peace with itself and with
its neighbors, where its citizens can go about their daily lives in
safety, provided their families with confidence and gratefulness.
Instability, violent extremism, and crime in Somalia are a threat not
only to Somalia, but to the region and the world at large. We look to
the future with hope, pride, and optimism.
And finally, I wish Madam Secretary all of the best for her future,
and we all miss her greatly, and a warm welcome to the new Secretary of
State and the new administration that will take over. Somalia will
remain grateful to the unwavering support from the United States
Government in the last 22 years that Somalia was in a difficult era. We
remain and we will remain grateful to that (inaudible). And I say in
front of you today thank you, America.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you so much, Mr. President. (Applause.)
MS. NULAND: We’ll take two questions today. We’ll start with CBS News, Margaret Brennan, please.
QUESTION: Madam Secretary, it’s good to have you back at the podium.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you, Margaret. I’m glad to be back.
QUESTION: A question for you. Is there anything you’d like to
see the Algerians do differently in response to the hostage situation
that’s underway? And more broadly, are there security or policy
implications for Westerners, Americans in the region because of what’s
happening in Mali?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Margaret, thanks for asking that very
timely question, and let me start off by saying that I spoke with the
Algerian Prime Minister Sellal yesterday. I expect to speak with him
again this afternoon. Our counterterrorism experts have been in close
contact with their Algerian counterparts throughout the last days. And
we’ve also been in close consultation with partners around the world,
sharing information, working to contribute to the resolution of this
hostage situation as quickly as possible.
Now let me say the situation is very fluid. It’s in a remote area of
Algeria near the Libyan border. The security of our Americans who are
held hostage is our highest priority, but of course we care deeply about
the other Algerian and foreign hostages as well. And because of the
fluidity and the fact that there is a lot of planning going on, I cannot
give you any further details at this time about the current situation
on the ground. But I can say that more broadly, what we are seeing in
Mali, in Algeria, reflects the broader strategic challenge, first and
foremost for the countries in North Africa and for the United States and
the broader international community.
Instability in Mali has created the opportunity for a staging base
and safe haven for terrorists. And we’ve had success, as you know, in
degrading al-Qaida and its affiliates, leadership, and actions in
Afghanistan and Pakistan. We’ve seen the great cooperation led by
African troops through the UN mission that we were just discussing in
Somalia. But let’s make no mistake: There is a continuing effort by the
terrorists, whether they call themselves one name or al-Qaida, to try to
destroy the stability, the peace and security, of the people of this
region.
These are not new concerns. In fact, this has been a top priority for
our entire national security team for years. We’ve worked with the
Government of Yemen, for example, in their efforts against al-Qaida in
the Arabic Peninsula. We’ve worked in something called the Trans-Sahara
Counterterrorism Partnership, which works with 10 countries across the
region. So we have been working on these problems, trying to help build
capacity, trying to create regional networks to deal with problems in
one country that can spill over the border of another, and working to
provide American support for the disruption of these terrorist networks.
At the UN General Assembly in September, we made the situation in
Mali an international priority with a central focus on working to have
an international response. I certainly am among a number of officials in
our government who’ve met and worked on this issue over the last weeks.
In fact, in October, I flew to Algeria for high-level talks with the
President and others in responsible positions in this security area
trying to determine what more we could do to strengthen our security
ties. In November, I sent Deputy Secretary Burns and a team to Algeria
to really get into depth about what more we could be doing. And then in
December, we began to reach out more broadly in the ongoing
counterterrorism discussions that we have.
Now, I say all of this because I think it’s important that we put
this latest incident into the broader context. This incident will be
resolved, we hope, with a minimum loss of life. But when you deal with
these relentless terrorists, life is not in any way precious to them.
But when this incident is finally over, we know we face a continuing,
ongoing problem, and we’re going to do everything we can to work
together to confront and disrupt al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.
We’re going to be working with our friends and partners in North
Africa. We are supporting the French operation in Mali with intelligence
and airlift. We’re working with a half a dozen African countries, as we
did with respect to Somalia over so many years, to help them be
prepared to send in African troops. In fact, by this weekend, U.S.
trainers will be on the continent to offer pre-deployment training and
sustainment packages for ECOWAS troops. And we are prepared to fund
airlift for those troops into Mali.
This is difficult but essential work. These are some of the most
remote places on the planet, very hard to get to, difficult to have much
intelligence from. So there is going to be lot of work that has to go
into our efforts. But I want to assure the American people that we are
committed to this work, just as we were committed to Somalia. There were
so many times, Mr. President, over the last four years when some people
were ready to throw up their hands and say al-Shabaab made an advance
here and this terrible attack in Mogadishu. And we kept persisting,
because we believed that with the kind of approach we had taken we would
be standing here today with a democratically elected president of
Somalia.
So let me just say that this is about our security, but it is also
about our interests and our values and the ongoing work of how to
counter violent extremism, to provide likeminded people who want to
raise their families, have a better future, educate their children, away
from extremism and to empower them to stand up against the extremists.
And I think it’s something that we will be working on for some time, but
I am confident that we will be successful over that time to give the
people of these countries, as we have worked to give the people of
Somalia, a chance to chart their own future, which is very much
reflective of the values and interests of the United States.
MS. NULAND: Last question today, Somalia Service of VOA, Falastine Iman, please.
QUESTION: Thank you. And I have question, one for the Somali
President and one for Madam Secretary. For Somali President, how would
you describe the U.S.-Somali relationship at this moment?
My other question is: Madam Secretary, sometime ago you announced a
dual-track policy, which means dealing Somali Government and regional
administrations. Are you still going to pursue these two approaches?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Could you just repeat the end of that? I think I lost a little bit.
QUESTION: You announced dual-track policy, which means dealing
with the government and the regional administrations. So are you still
going to pursue these two approaches?
PRESIDENT HASSAN SHEIKH: Yeah. Thanks, Falastine. Regarding
for Somalia, I think this is a new era, and the United States Government
and Somalia serving our relationships in this – the independence of
Somalia in 1960s, and the signs and the symbols and the remains of this
long-term relationship is still visible in Somalia. The schools built by
the Peace Corps in the early 1960s is still functional in Somalia.
These schools are still used by different people and different parts of
Somalia. And from then onward, the support that the United States
Government give to Somalia is still visible in Somalia.
And the last one I was telling is the last 22 years that Somalia was
in a difficult times, the United States has always been the country that
never left Somalia and have been engaging Somalia with difficult times
at different levels, including when the existence of Somali nation was
threatened in early ’90s. It was the United States forces that saved
more than 300,000 lives of Somalis. Had that intervention not been
there, it would have been difficult and different today, the situation
in Somalia. So that relationship is there and the commitment and the
unwavering support of the United States has always been.
And Somalia is part of the international community and part of the
world. Somalia – United States is a role model country for the
democracy, for the freedom of people, for the development of human
capital. And this model we are going to pursue, of course, as the rest
of the world. So the relationship was there in the past. It’s now there.
And today, I am here standing in front of you to further improve that
relationship in the context of the current realities in Somalia, in the
region, and the continent of Africa. So it’s there and it will be there
in the future.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you very much for those very strong
words, Mr. President. Today, we are taking a new step in our engagement
with the recognition of the government. We believe strongly that the
successful conclusion of Somalia’s political transition – with a new
president, a prime minister, a parliament, a constitution – marks the
beginning of a new era of Somali governance. And therefore one of the
reasons we wanted the President to come was to discuss the way forward.
Now, we still have the excellent work by U.S. Special Representative
for Somalia Ambassador Swan, who leads a team, as you know, committed to
working with the Government and people of Somalia. But our position now
is the work that we did to help establish a transitional government, to
support the fight against al-Shabaab, to provide humanitarian
assistance, is now moving into a new era, as the President said. I
believe that our job now is to listen to the Government and people of
Somalia, who are now in a position to tell us, as well as other partners
around the world, what their plans are, how they hope to achieve them.
So we have moved into a normal sovereign nation-to-sovereign nation
position, and we have moved into an era where we’re going to be a good
partner, a steadfast partner, to Somalia as Somalia makes the decisions
for its own future.
Thank you all very much.
