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Int'l community urges Somalia to speed up political reforms

Xinhua, January 23, 2015 Adjust font size:

The International community on Friday called on Somalia to hasten political reforms to foster peace and stability in the Horn of Africa.

In a joint statement issued in Mogadishu, the envoys from the UN, EU, U.S., Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) expressed concerns over delays in the implementation of Vision 2016 due to the prolonged political crisis.

"We call on the President, Prime Minister and the Federal Parliament to unite for the greater good of the country and to move swiftly towards the implementation of Vision 2016 through a new cabinet endorsed by Parliament," the envoys said in the statement.

The envoys urged Somali leadership and its political institutions to ensure the appointment of a cabinet that receives the consent of Parliament without any further delays.

"Further delays could jeopardize the progress Somalia has made towards building peace and security," said the statement.

The envoys said September 2016 remains the constitutional deadline for conducting free and fair elections, and called on all Somali institutions to focus on building consensus and act in the national interest.

Somali Parliament on Jan. 17 approved a two-week extension period requested by Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke to form an inclusive government after the lawmakers rejected the list he had submitted for approval.

Sharmarke dissolved his proposed list of cabinet ministers barely hours after it was set to face a confidence vote by the country's parliament. Endi