U.N. Hails Inauguration of Somalia's Transitional Parliament

More than 200 members of Somalia's newly formed transitional federal parliament took their oaths of office at the United Nations office in Nairobi on 22 August 2004, marking a major step toward ending 13 years without a functioning national government.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan welcomed the occasion in a formal statement, crediting nearly two years of difficult negotiations led by Kenya under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) as the process that brought the parliament into being.

Annan singled out Kenya's government and President Mwai Kibaki for particular recognition, alongside other IGAD members and the broader international community, for their sustained commitment to restoring stability in the Horn of Africa country.

He urged the new legislature to move swiftly toward electing a president and building the governing institutions Somalia requires, and confirmed the U.N.'s readiness to support the country's peace process throughout that effort.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in August 2004, in its own words.