Hargeysa, Somaliland, May 15, 2008 - The President of Somaliland, Mr Dahir Rayale Kahin, and the two leaders of Somaliland's opposition parties KULMIYE and UCID, Mr Ahmed Mohamed Mahamud and Mr Faisal Ali Warabe met on Thursday evening at the Presidency in Hargeysa.

The meeting took place in order to begin discussions on issues relating to Somaliland's political arena, including efforts to revive the failed mediation talks between all three Somaliland parties regarding the delay in the Presidential and local elections, the extension of the President's mandate by the Somaliland House of Elders and other areas of mutual interest.

Mediation processes led by the Somaliland speaker of parliament, Mr Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi had failed and as a result the need for a new attempt in resolving the issues facing the Somaliland political parties appears to have been revived by the meeting between the three party heads in Hargeisa.

According to reliable resources these discussions are expected to continue tomorrow with a luncheon to be attended by the three party leaders, followed by a press conference tomorrow, Thursday, the 15th of May.

According to these same sources, the chair of the UCID party, Mr Faisal Ali Warabe stated that these talks have borne fruit "Which will reassure the people of Somaliland and our friends across the globe that Somaliland has once again resolved its internal issues through dialogue and consensus".

These talks come at a time when the opposition parties, KULMIYE and UCID had been adamant in their opposition to the extension of the President's term for an additional year by the Somaliland House of Elders. The President's five year term expires on the 15th of May, 2008.

Source: Qaran News

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