By Yusuf Ali, managing editor

GAROWE, Somalia Dec 24, 2007 - Lawmakers in Somalia's sub-state of Puntland continue their debate regarding the situation in Las Anod, the provincial capital of Sool region, the ownership over which is contested by the neighboring breakaway region of Somaliland.

In early November, the Puntland parliament threatened the administration of President Mohamud "Adde" Muse with a confidence vote if Las Anod is not recaptured from Somaliland troops within 30 days.

That 30-day ultimatum has long passed and Puntland lawmakers remain divided about the way forward, parliament insiders said.

Today's preliminary discussion on Las Anod is meant to lay the groundwork for longer debates, the deputy parliament Speaker told Radio Garowe.

A group of lawmakers were assigned today to speak with Muse government officials and update the parliament on the latest developments in Las Anod.

A committee composed of lawmakers and administration officials will be formed to address specific issues relating to Las Anod, the deputy speaker added.

Most MPs agreed during today's meeting to speak with administration officials and reach "new decisions" about Las Anod and the Somaliland presence there.

Many legislators accused the Muse government of neglecting Las Anod, both before and after October 15 when Somaliland troops backed a renegade Puntland government minister and his militia in taking control of Las Anod.

But Muse supporters in parliament pointed to the sensitive clan issue in Las Anod, arguing that divisions within the Dhulbahante clan led to the Somaliland takeover of Las Anod.

Residents and local politicians say the Las Anod crisis represents both structural and social challenges to the existence of Puntland as a self-governing region in Somalia.

The Puntland government was created in 1998 after the successful conclusion of the Garowe Conference, which was attended by more than 400 delegates representing Somali clans in Bari, Sool, Sanaag, Nugal and Mudug regions, as well as the district of Buhodle in Togdheer region of Somaliland.

Abdullahi Yusuf, the current president of Somalia, became the first leader of Puntland, inheriting a vast barren land of militia roadblocks, powerful criminal enterprises and a disorganized economic and political system.

Yusuf has been credited for successfully securing Puntland and rescuing the region from a fate similar to  the capital Mogadishu, where ruthless warlords ruled with impunity.

But Yusuf's legacy in Puntland is also part of the problem.

The 2001-2002 Puntland civil war ended in victory for Yusuf, who stayed on as president while his opponent, Jama Ali Jama, fled the country.

But Yusuf's return as Puntland president violated the region's constitution, drafted in 1998 by clan delegates.

According to the constitution, the 1998-2001 interim period gave Yusuf's Puntland administration three years to setup government institutions and services and prepare the region for multi-party elections.

But many of those goals were never met, due to the constitutional dispute that erupted in July 2001 between Yusuf and Jama that eventually turned into all-out armed conflict.

In 2005, the region held its second presidential elections, which led to Adde Muse's ascendance to power.

Muse, a citizen of Canada and former Somali army general, entered Puntland politics to defend his clan cousin Jama, whom he believed was being strong-armed by Yusuf.

But Muse was eventually forced to sign a peace agreement after Yusuf's militia chased him and his supporters to the remote hills of Sanaag region, where Muse was welcomed by Somaliland troops.

As recently as last week, Muse angered Puntland lawmakers when he admitted for the first time that he signed a deal in 2002 with Dahir Riyale, the separatist president of Somaliland.

Muse's tenure as Puntland president brought little change to the region politically, for parliament remained a weak and divided organ and a shadow under the presence of a strong presidency, a legacy inherited from the Yusuf years.

Lawmakers' inability to change Muse's "hands-off" policy on Las Anod is related directly to the structural issues at the root of the Puntland political system.

The MPs are there to represent the region's various clans, but they are not in parliament to represent a political position or challenge administration policy.

Source: Garowe Online