Somalia's interim president, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed on Saturday for the first time spoke about the war-torn country's draft constitution that has been presented by the Independent Federal Constitutional Commission in the capital Mogadishu, Radio Garowe reports.

"Drafting a constitution for a new Somalia is a solemn national undertaking which must be transparent and beyond reproach to ensure that the constitution is vested with legitimacy," adding: "To suffice as the constitution of Somalia, the final draft must embody the aspirations and interests of the Somali people, a task that can only be achieved through broad public participation," said Ahmed.

In his statement to the media, President Ahmed proposed the formation of a National Advisory Council consisting of members of parliament, legal experts, Islamic scholars, cultural experts as well as citizenry.

"While the draft constitution is an improvement over the current Transitional Federal Charter, it still requires further scrutiny and input from Somali citizens, legal experts, Islamic scholars, and members of parliament to ensure that it is a true expression of the will of the Somali people," he noted.

Ahmed cautioned that the draft constitution and the approval process "should not be subjected to political maneuverings by Somali politicians, or subjected to arbitrary deadlines set by non–Somali actors."

Continuing, he said: "The immense sacrifices of our martyred Ministers and Members of Parliament and the ongoing sacrifices of our soldiers obligate us to demand nothing short of an untainted, Somali driven, and Somalia-centred constitution," he added.

UNDP Somalia has been leading efforts to support the IFFC in every step of developing an inclusive constitution-making process for the past 18 months.

The president emphasized that "the Transitional Federal Government – including the President, Parliament and Council of Ministers – have not yet formally agreed on the modalities and processes in which the new constitution will be ratified."

The weak U.N.-backed transitional government, established in 2004, is battling Islamist insurgents, and with an undermanned, poorly equipped African Union peacekeeping force, that controls only a small part of Mogadishu.

The current mandate of the TFG expires on August 2011 and world has been very concerned about the future of the chaotic parts of Somalia once the TFG is out of picture.

Somalia has not had a stable government since 1991, and insurgent groups are waging war against the government in an effort to implement a stricter form of Islamic law, or sharia.

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