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Berbera, November 7, 2009 (SL Times) — Somaliland
government officials and officers from NATO’s anti-piracy mission, which
has warships patrolling the seas off the coast of neighboring Somalia
met aboard a naval warship anchored off the coast of Berbera.
Participating in the meeting on the Somaliland side were members of the
government, officials from the Sahil regional authority, the head of the
port of Berbera and officers from the Somaliland coastguards & security
services.
There was no official communiqué from the meeting from either side, but
sources confirmed to Geeska Afrika that the main agenda of the meeting
concentrated on areas of mutual interest between Somaliland and NATO
including combating piracy in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
According to an eyewitness on the scene the meeting lasted approximately
two hours after which the NATO warship headed for the high seas and the
Somaliland delegation returned ashore.
In the past, Somaliland has offered the use of its ports on its long
coastline for NATO ships to combat Somali pirates. Somaliland
coastguards have managed to keep Somalia’s sea-gangs off it’s coast and
is considered one of the safest waters in the Horn.
In a related development, a ship carrying food aid from the World Food
Programme docked at the port of Berbera yesterday with logistics
destined for the neighboring landlocked Ethiopia.
Source: SomalilandPress
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