President Dahir Rayale Kahin

Hargeysa, Somaliland, December 29, 2007 (SL Times) – According to sources close to Somaliland’s ministry of the Presidency, President Dahir Rayale Kahin will be travelling in the first week of January 2008 to the US capital Washington, D.C to hold talks with the US government on issues relating to US and Somaliland relations.

The unofficial source disclosed to SL Times that the US state department has invited president Rayale for an official visit to the US to hold talks with state department officials in Washington D.C.

Up to now, there has not been any public comment from Somaliland government officials to back this unofficial report of the visit or the invitation from Washington.

U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia , Donald Y. Yamamoto

Nonetheless, speculation on the president’s US trip gained momentum early in the week, when reports of a ministerial Somaliland delegation that left on Monday for the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, to hold talks with the US ambassador to Ethiopia, Mr Donald Y. Yamamoto.

US ambassador, Donald Yamamoto, held an official dinner party for the Somaliland delegation on Tuesday night at his private residence. The delegation was comprised of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Abdillahi M Duale, the Minister of Justice, Mr Ahmed H. Ali, the Minister of Health, Mr Abdi H. Muhamad, Deputy Vice Minister of Planning, Mr Ahmed H. Abdi and the private secretary of the President, Mr Ahmed M Esse.

The delegation’s meeting with ambassador Yamamoto was made known on Thursday by Somaliland’s presidential spokesman, Mr Saeed Adani, who issued a press release giving details of the delegation and the meetings conducted with Ethiopian and US embassy officials.

The press statement said that the Somaliland ministerial delegation, led by the Foreign Minister, Mr Duale, along with the Somaliland Addis consulate staff were, on Tuesday night, the official guests of the US ambassador to Ethiopia, Mr Donald Yamamoto who held at his residence an official dinner for the Somaliland delegation.

The press statement did not elaborate on what was discussed in the meeting, but briefly mentioned that the delegation discussed with Ambassador Yamamoto matters relating to peace and security in the region, as well as strengthening the good rapport and friendship established over the years between the two countries.

Source: Somaliland Times