London, UK, January 23, 2010 (SL Times) – Alun Michael, a member of the British Parliament with strong interest in Somaliland issues asked Prime Minister Gordon Brown this week if he is going to “continue the Government's engagement with the Government of Somaliland”? The Prime Minister replied, “We will work with all Governments against the terrorist threat.”

Somaliland plays a vital role in ensuring peace and stability in the volatile region of the Horn of Africa and the Gulf of Aden. Somaliland also offers a model of moderate Islam that is compatible with democratic values and rejects religious extremism.

Here is the exchange between Alun Michael and Gordon Brown:

Alun Michael: What my right hon. Friend said about helping to achieve stability in Yemen will be welcomed by Yemenis in my constituency [www.theyworkforyou.com], who have long been concerned about the situation in their country. On Somalia, we all want to see the interim transitional Government succeed in bringing stability to the south, but they do not yet even control Mogadishu. Will he also continue the Government's engagement with the Government of Somaliland in the north, which for nearly 20 years has been a beacon of stability and democracy in the horn of Africa, and continue to reward that success?

Gordon Brown: I appreciate what my right hon. Friend is saying, and he speaks with a great deal of knowledge about what has happened in Africa over the years. We will work with all Governments against the terrorist threat. The real danger is that al-Qaeda can find areas where there is temporary or permanent instability, exploit that to make them their training ground, and cause chaos in the region around them. We are determined to work with like-minded Governments to prevent the terrorist threat from developing. I keep saying that we must expose extremism and back the reformers and moderates who want to show that the view of Islam as perverted by al-Qaeda is completely false.

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