The United Nations last week appointed two experts to oversee United Nations sanctions against Somalia. The men are Ian Anthony, who works for the Stockholm International Peace and Research Institute, and Harjit Singh Sandhu, an expert in Interpol investigations. According to the UN, the men will have 30 days to prepare a plan. It will detail the resources and expertise required by a proposed panel of experts which will provide independent information on violations and will also strengthen the embargo on weapons and military equipment. Under a UN Security Council resolution adopted last month, the panel of experts will be charged with pursuing sources that might reveal violations.
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On Tuesday Radio Hargeisa reported that the establishment of private radio stations had been banned in Somaliland. A statement issued by the Ministry of Information said that until broadcasting laws were passed, there would be no private radio stations because of the potential dangers of their operations. "No other voice can be heard on the air except Radio Hargeisa, which is the national voice," the statement said.
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Somali faction leader Hussein Hage Bod yesterday urged the leaders of Ethiopia and Somalia’s Transitional National Government (TNG) to promote better understanding and cordial relations between the two countries. In a statement faxed to Arab News, he said: "Such action based on suspicion and mistrust has paved the way for recent accusations and propaganda between the TNG and Ethiopia." Bod, who is the chairman of the Somali Consultative Council, earlier rejected the TNG, but later moved to their side.
