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London, UK, January 28,
2012 (SL Times) – As preparations for the London conference on Somalia
move forward, it is becoming clear that not only the United Kingdom’s
government is keen on having Somaliland participate at the highest
level, but Somaliland’s supporters in the British parliament (or at
least some of them), too, feel the same way. The friend of Somaliland in
parliament and the House of Lords seem to be motivated by three factors:
1-They do not want Somaliland to be marginalized at the conference.
2-They do not want Somaliland’s quest for independence to be
compromised.
3-They want to raise Somaliland’s diplomatic profile (that is why they,
or at least some of them, are pushing for Somaliland to be invited to
take part at the highest level and to be accorded commensurate
treatment.
It is with this in mind that the United Kingdom’s Minister of State,
Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Lord Howell of Guildford, was asked
about who will participate in the conference and if Somaliland’s
president was invited. Here is the minister’s written reply:
“As we noted previously, we have invited Governments and multilateral
organizations that are active and influential on Somalia, as well as
representatives from Somalia.
We are pleased to say that we have secured very senior attendance from
representatives from the region (for example Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda)
and the international community (for example Turkey, Qatar, Nigeria,
Sweden, and the European Union) alongside a host of Somali
representatives; as well as the African Union and United Nations
Secretary-General.
We have invited Somaliland to attend the London conference on Somalia.
We are following up the invitation with discussions with the Somaliland
authorities, working to find a basis for their attendance that is
acceptable to them and to us. We very much hope that President Sillanyo
will attend: Somaliland has much useful experience to share of creating
relative stability in the region.
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