Ending nearly a decade of diplomatic isolation, Somalia's newly elected president,
Abdiqasim Salad Hasan, gathered with world leaders in New York on Wednesday for
the opening of the UN Millennium Summit. In
remarks carried by news agencies, he appealed to the UN and the international
community to let "bygones be bygones" and provide rehabilitation funds to help
rebuild the country. "I
am so happy that we are back here after over 10 years of absence from the international
scene," Abdiqasim Salad told Reuters.
"The message we bring is one of peace for Somalia, peace for the Horn of Africa
and for Africa as a whole. Let bygones be bygones and let us start a new relationship
between ourselves, with our neighbours and the international community." The
reports said the Somali flag was raised at the UN headquarters for the first time
in 10 years as Abdiqasim Salad prepared for his speech before the summit on Friday.
He is one of the 150 participants at two-day summit. Abdiqasim Salad, also apologised
to the UN for the bloody clashes between UN peacekeepers and Somalis in the 1990s.
"Mistakes were made on both sides but I would like to apologise to the United
Nations and the world for the errors committed by Somalis," he said.
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