Al-Raya Calls on All Somali Parties to Calm, Avoid Escalation and Restraint

Doha, February 21 (QNA) - In its Sunday editorial, Al-Raya daily newspaper expressed its deep regret and concern over the incidents that took place in the capital Mogadishu in the past two days, calling on all Somali parties to adhere to calm, avoid escalation, and pursue more restrained policy, and that differences must be resolved through political dialogue and peaceful means, in order to achieve the aspirations of the Somali people for security, stability and development. Somalia was on the verge of holding elections, which require more consensus, therefore, these events are unjustified and should not be allowed by the Somali people and government, as they have serious consequences that may lead Somalia to political and security instability and impede the process of calm and stability that the country has enjoyed for years, the paper said. Al-Raya said that the stability of Somalia is a matter of concern to everyone, and the State of Qatar, through its close relations with the Somali people and their government, is concerned with the importance of the political, security and economic stability of Somalia, which is dependent on the Somali parties' commitment to restraint and enter into a political dialogue to resolve differences, away from exchanging accusations. Therefore, calm and speeding up political dialogue with the participation of all parties is required in order to reach a consensus that guarantees the holding of national elections, the paper added. However, it is important for the Somali parties in the federal government, federal leaders and party leaders to realize that what happened in Mogadishu is considered a spark to drag Somalia into instability, the paper said, calling on Somali leaders for an urgent meeting, with the participation of all, to put an end to these incidents and to agree on a political accord that would guarantee the conduct of the elections with integrity and freedom. In conclusion, Al-Raya said that the holding of general elections in Somalia is subject to political and security stability, and everyone agrees on its importance, therefore, it is important to achieve a political consensus and work to hold free, fair and transparent elections as soon as possible, instead of plunging Somalia into a security and political vacuum that harms everyone. (QNA)