We believe Taiwan is part of China. Chinese warships are already there. We do not welcome warships from Taiwan in Somali waters.

How should the pirates be brought to justice? What punishments will be meted out to them?

International navies should cooperate with the Somali side in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions. If they capture any pirates, they should hand them over to the Somali authorities to punish them. Pirates should be prosecuted in Somalia, not outside Somalia. That is the best way to solve the problem. In Somalia, there are legal procedures to punish them. I think it is up to the judge what sentences they will give to pirates.

Apart from piracy, there are other problems in our sea today. We have suffered from illegal fishing for more than 18 years. Illegal fishing companies use nets with small holes and loot everything in the sea while destroying the corals. Others are destroying the marine environment by dumping waste materials including chemicals. That practice has been continuing for many years. Unfortunately, nobody pays attention to these problems. We need to stop illegal fishing and waste dumping and protect our marine environment.

Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed resigned in December last year. Why do you think he chose to resign? When will a new president be elected?

President Yusuf told the parliament and the international community when he was elected that he would step down and a new president should be elected if they did not cooperate with him to work for peace and stability in Somalia. While some countries support the Transitional Federal Government, others sabotage it. Some countries even supported the violations of Somalia's Constitution. There is no solidarity in the international community. President Yusuf saw that there was no way for him to stay on as president, so he resigned.

According to the Constitution, after a president resigns, his power will be handed over to the speaker of parliament. And then within 30 days, the parliament will elect a new president. We expect a new president to be elected by the end of January.

How do you evaluate the prospects for Somalia's peace process?

International assistance is very important for the Somali people to achieve peace and stability. During Yusuf's presidency, he tried to reach out to the international community, calling on other countries to support Somalia's peace and stability. In order to realize peace and stability, we need international solidarity. We need the international community to pay attention to Somalia. But it has not shown seriousness. The UN has not sent any peacekeeping forces. Only the African Union (AU) has sent AMISOM, the African Union Mission to Somalia, mainly consisting of peacekeepers from Uganda and Burundi. Our neighbor, Ethiopia, supported the Transitional Federal Government from the beginning.

Ethiopian troops will leave Somalia soon. They have asked the international community to take over after they leave. However, no other countries have sent peacekeeping troops to Somalia so far. Uganda and Burundi may also leave after Ethiopia. Without the international community's support, I don't think they will stay in the country.

What role do you think the international community, especially the UN and the AU, should play in promoting peace and reconciliation in Somalia?

We need solidarity and seriousness from the international community. Our brothers in the AU are committed to peace and stability in Somalia, but they need international support for their troops in Somalia. We ask the international community to support the AU's peacemaking efforts, especially AMISOM.

In order to solve the problems in Somalia, we need peacekeepers. The UN should send peacekeeping troops, or provide African peacekeepers with the means to continue their peacekeeping mission in Somalia. The UN has been seriously involved in different countries. It needs to work harder in Somalia. We need peacemaking missions, too. Only a small number of people do not want peace and stability in Somalia. The lack of international presence in Somalia has worsened the problem. Peacemakers are needed to assist the Transitional Federal Government in achieving national reconciliation.