Somaliland Pushes For Recognition As Tensions Rise

Addis Ababa , Ethiopia, October 23, 2006 – Granting recognition to Somaliland is the only way the relative stability in that country can be saved, Somaliland's foreign minister Abdillahi M. Duale said Thursday.

Duale made the statements upon concluding his visit here.

"The government of Somaliland believes that de jure recognition of Somaliland will certainly galvanize all Somalilander's uncompromised nationalism which will in no doubt encourage our people to stand off against the Union of Islamic Courts' (UIC) continuous threat and expansion in the region," the minister told journalists at the Sheraton Addis.

Duale who was in Addis Ababa on the invitation of the African Union also met with Ethiopian foreign minister Seyoum Mesfin, the chairperson of the African Union and representative of the EU.

Despite failing to gain international recognition Somaliland has been advocating for independence ever since it seceded from Somalia in 1991.

It however, has managed to maintain its stability in that part of the region fraught with violence and lawlessness.

As of recent, the UIC in Somalia have evolved powerful and managed to control Mogadishu and swath of territory in the south.

The courts have also been making advances towards Somaliland and the Ethiopian border sparking fears of regional instability.

Duale expressed concerns that those developments were threat to his country's stability.

During his meeting with officials he requested for financial assistance and cooperation in the spheres of military and security.

Source: The Reporter

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