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Hargeysa, Somaliland, April 21, 2012 (SL Times) – In an interview with
Haatuf Newspaper, Somaliland Foreign Minister Dr. Muhammad Abdillahi
Omar gave a few more details about why his government canceled
preparations for prospective talks with Somalia.
The Foreign Minister said they are ready for talks but that Sheikh
Sharif had derailed the possibility of the talks when he added to his
delegation two members who hail from Somaliland’s Sool and Sanag
regions.
Dr. Muhammad Abdillahi Omar stressed that the Somaliland government has
honored the clause in the London Conference Communique which encouraged
dialogue between Somaliland and Somalia but he also pointed out that
nowhere in that communiqué did it say the TFG could add delegates which
were not agreed upon.
The Foreign Minister said Somaliland’s decision to scrap the planned
talks will not affect Somaliland’s relations with the international
community because it was Sheikh Sharif who undid the preparations for
the talks. The foreign minister further elaborated that since Puntland
is part of the federal government headed by the TFG then there is no
need to add individuals to the delegation as a favor to Puntland. He
also urged Sheikh Sharif to stop sabotaging the talks and to remove the
two individuals that he added to the list.
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