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Hargeysa, Somaliland, August 28, 2010 (SL Times) – A delegation led by
the United Kingdom’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Mr Norman Ling, visited
Somaliland this week.
In a press conference at the ministry of health, Ambassador Ling said
the reason they came to Somaliland was to find out the issues the new
government wants to tackle and how it can be helped. The Ambassador
emphasized that the UK and other western governments are pleased with
the way the elections took place and are ready to assist the new
government in the fields of health and development. “You have
demonstrated here in Somaliland your commitment again to multi-party
democracy and you have had a peaceful outcome in the transition from one
government to next. We congratulate everyone who has contributed to that
result,” said Ambassador Ling.
The Ambassador mentioned that he came to Somaliland four months ago
during the electoral commission’s preparations for the presidential
election, and he is happy to have come back again after the elections
have taken place successfully. He also highlighted the fact that this is
not only his view but also the view of the international community. The
Ambassador said he had fifteen meetings, including meetings with
government officials, businessmen and others, and he is going back with
a good idea about the needs of the country in various fields.
Addressing the question of bilateral aid, the Ambassador explained, “If
I may correct you, some of the UK assistance is provided directly to the
government and will continue to be and that is in such areas as security
which can’t be channeled through international agencies. We were happy
and we are happy to work directly as government to government and will
continue to do so in the future.”
The Ambassador also set a sort of precedent when he met with a Minister
of Religious Affairs for the first time. Elaborating on his meeting with
the Minister of Religious Affairs, Sheikh Khalil Abdillahi Ahmed, Mr
Ling said, ““It was my first call on the ministry for Religious Affairs.
I hadn’t managed to get round the ministry before. We see the ministry
as an important ministry within the government of Somaliland. It has
been the case before and it is the case now. We are very keen to engage
with it. We discussed with minister issues of common concern to us all
including the issue of radicalization within Somaliland and the way in
which one could address that. Radicalization is a particular concern not
only amongst the youth here but also anywhere in the world including the
UK and of course governments around the world have to develop mechanisms
for tackling this issue. We talked in depth with the minister and his
aides about issues such as youth unemployment, education, the
curriculum, etc. These issues are not specific to the ministry of
religious affairs only but concern other ministries such as Education
and Economy ministries as well.”
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