Written answers and statements, 4 November 2009

Lord Laird (Crossbench) - To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria were used in the decisions to recognize the independence of Eritrea, East Timor and Kosovo; whether those criteria will apply to Somaliland; and whether they will raise the matter in the European Union with a view to gaining agreement on the recognition of Somaliland's independence.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Labour)

The general criteria that we apply for recognition of an independent state remain as described in the Written Answer dated 16 November 1989 (Hansard, col. 494) by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. The UK has signed up to an EU common position, and to many UN Security Council resolutions, which refer to the territorial integrity and unity of Somalia. The Government do not propose to raise this issue in the EU.

Source: http://www.parliament.uk, 4 November 2009

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