Somalia's legislators have voted Prime Minister Ali Khalif Galaydh (AH-lee kah-LEEF gah-LIED) and his Cabinet out of power. That news came as he left Minnesota after a family visit. Galaydh is in the U.S. to ask for help in the international fight against terrorism. Minnesota Public Radio's Laurel Druley spoke with Galaydh prior to the no-confidence vote on Sunday. { Galaydh and his wife Mariam Mahamed left Somalia 18 years ago. They wanted to raise their children in the United States to give them a safe home.
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LAUREL DRULEY: Galaydh and his wife Miriam Mohamed left Somalia 18 years ago. They wanted to raise their children in the United States to give them a safe home.
After a peace conference a year and a half ago, the new Somali president appointed Galaydh. So Galaydh returned to his war-torn homeland for the first time since 1982. When Galaydh was appointed prime minister, his wife Mohamed and the couple's children moved to Owatonna, home to her family and a large Somali population.
ALI KHALIF GALAYDH: It's quite a challenge. And it's a historic moment for Somalia, and it's worth sacrificing a lot. I've been telling my kids, especially my oldest son, Osame, that I'm out there to help, to participate in the reconstruction of a Somali state and particularly to help young Somali kids. Well, he accepted. And then one day, he turned around and said it's good to help Somali kids, but you are abandoning us, and that really hit hard.
LAUREL DRULEY: Galaydh says he wanted to repay his country after benefiting from government scholarships as a youth.
ALI KHALIF GALAYDH: I have to always try to strike a balance between the demands of my family and the demands of my extended family of Somalia. And how do I strike a balance?
LAUREL DRULEY: Galaydh sits in his wife's living room decorated with souvenirs from their East African country. The sophisticated and determined looking gentleman is worn out. Galaydh has made a list of Somalia's needs. First, he says Somalia needs to make peace with itself.
ALI KHALIF GALAYDH: There's no central authority in Somalia. The place will be available to whoever wants to take advantage of, whether they are terrorists, whether they are people-- drug traffickers, having military supplies deposited there and then sell it to neighboring countries and whoever wants to buy. It is frightening. And what the transitional national government is trying to do is to make sure that Somalia is safe from these external problems.
LAUREL DRULEY: Galaydh disagrees with Somalia's president over how to deal with the country's clan leaders. The transitional national government will remain in power until the president elects a new prime minister. Galaydh says Somalia has self-destructed. The nation in the Horn of Africa needs to find peace with its neighbors. He also says they need money to pay for a police force and the reconstruction of Mogadishu, the country's capital.
Eventually, Galaydh adds Somalia will need an environment that attracts foreign businesses. Galaydh went to United Nations officials for help. He wants to keep his country from becoming a vacuum that can breed terrorism.
In an effort to improve security and Somalia's image, Galaydh and his cabinet members recently formed an anti-terrorism task force. The task force is made up of top cabinet, police, and intelligence officials who collect and share information on terrorist activities in Somalia.
ALI KHALIF GALAYDH: Where do individuals who hold national responsibilities, where do they stand? And that's what we are now trying to examine ourselves. If there are individuals who are members of the parliament, who are members of, say, of the government, who are engaged directly or indirectly in these activities, we would like to know. And those answers cannot be the same team.
LAUREL DRULEY: Through the task force, Galaydh had hopes of opening the lines of communication with the United States. But he says so far, US officials haven't responded to his overtures. During his visit to the US, Galaydh hoped to meet with Washington, officials strengthen US relations, and improve the public opinion of his country. Somalia is one of seven countries listed by the United States as a sponsor of international terrorism.
ALI KHALIF GALAYDH: We have very limited resources. We don't claim to control all parts of the country, especially the airports and ports. So people might come and go. It's a small country, but with king-size problems, our own local problems. We don't need really to complicate even further our political problems.
LAUREL DRULEY: In the short time he's been in power, the transitional national government has been trying to restore democratic order after a decade of civil war. September 11 events have complicated their mission. Galaydh will keep his position until the Somali president nominates a new prime minister, who will then have 30 days to appoint a new cabinet.
Laurel Druley, the Minnesota Public Radio, Owatonna.