Issue 238

Presiden Rayale on his return from his two months long European trip made early this year, (left) Vice President and other government officials receive the president at Egal International Hargeysa airport.

Hargeysa, Somaliland, August 12, 2006 (SL Times) – Somaliland president Dahir Rayale Kahin is expected to leave Hargeysa for London in the next 48 hours. The president will later visit Germany and the USA.

The visits have not been officially announced by the Somaliland government yet. But the Somaliland Times has learnt that the president will be accompanied during the trip by his wife, Hudda Barkhad, the new Foreign minister Abdillahi Mohamed Dualle, the Finance minister Awil Ali Dualle and a number of other officials.

Though the purpose of Mr. Rayale’s trip has not been officially disclosed yet, however knowledgeable sources have told the Somaliland Times that the president’s visits will be private in nature.

There have been no indications that Mr. Rayale will meet with any senior members of government in the 3 countries that he will visit.

While in London, the president is most likely to meet with Lord Triesman, the UK’s junior minister for African.

Mr. Rayale’s trip to the 3 countries is expected to cost several million dollars. An equally staggering amount of money was understood to have been spent on a similar trip by the president earlier this year to Germany, Norway and Belgium.

An advance team comprising the president’s secretary Dahir Ali and Finance minister Awil Dualle has already been in Addis Ababa for the last few days to arrange for visit visas. Members of the team are staying at the Sheraton, a 5 star hotel whose rates can be afforded by only a handful of Somalilanders.

In the meanwhile, the Somaliland Times has learnt that president Rayale is likely to come under severe criticism from legislators in the lower house of Parliament for paying the traveling expenses of his large entourage with tax payer’s money.

Source: Somaliland Times