By Goth Mohamed Goth

The fifth round of the ongoing dialogue talks between Somalia’s federal government and Somaliland were resumed on 16, Thursday 2014 with delegates representing both sides sat face to face in a conference room in Istanbul, Turkey.

Mr. Hani Torun Turkish Ambassador to Somaliland and Somaliland speaking at the start of the talks said, “The talks had a very Good start considering the eagerness of both sides to talk and which a good sign is and we hope that they can continue this dialogue in order to achieve their mutual interests,

Turkish government initiated the first round of talks between the two sides to ‘open dialogue’ in Ankara on 13th of April. The talks concluded with a memorandum of understanding known as the ‘Ankara Communiqué. The Ankara Communiqué consisted of seven points which both side agreed.

Somaliland Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hon Mohamed Bihi Yunis leading the SL delegation said, “Somaliland is ready and has been ready for a while” reiterating that the conclusion of the talks will be “Somaliland and Somalia living side by side as neighbors and brothers as two countries as it has been over the last two decades.

Hon Bih stated, “The Government of Somaliland welcomes the commitment of the government in Mogadishu to the continuation of the Somaliland-Somalia dialogue but at the same time strongly reiterates that our sovereignty was irrevocable and non-negotiable came with a cost in form of the spilling of the blood of innocent Somalilanders, he warned against the misinformation tactics used by SFG official with the intent of mislead western and other world officials and which usual purported that Somaliland will at some time in the near future to the federation, that kind of thinking insults the intelligence of Somalilanders.

“Somalia stands to benefit from an independent Somaliland and it’s beyond reasonable doubt that Somaliland has strategic and political value considering its post- conflict reconstruction and state-building process and, in doing so, Somaliland has contributed the region to be peaceful and stable”, Hon Mohamed Bihi said.

Somaliland Foreign minister said, “We are willing to look and review the previously agreements such as the shared airspace which unfortunately didn’t yield results in terms of breakthroughs from both SFG and GoSL.

A deadlock became evident when SFG authorized an airplane to land within Somaliland’s territory breaking point seven of the Ankara Communiqué. This prompted the decision by GoSL grounding all UN flights in and out of the country. This issue was resolved on July 7^th – 9^th2013 in Istanbul which both parties held further talks to rectify the situation.

An agreement was reached which was to create a joint-control body which manages both airspace based in Hargeisa however this was reneged by the SFG which in an act of deception went ahead and   discreetly signed another agreement with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in contempt of the Ankara Accord.

The former Somalia’s Interior and National Security Minister Abdikarim Hussein Guled who has previously had led the SFG delegations told the media that the both sides will discuss issues including the unity of the country.

The Former Security Minister said, “We are focused on seeking a United Somalia and discuss and find ways to resolve what happened in the past just stopping short of assuming responsibility for the atrocities committed against the people of Somaliland,

Further engagements between the two side’s delegates will cease for next three days in order to give them time to prepare their respective agendas until the resumption of the next meeting which is due next Friday.

SomalilandPress.com

Click the Link Below to watch the Press Briefing Clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6koNCM1siLs

EU, IGAD, ETHIOPIAN ROAD COMMISSION & SOMALILAND ROAD AGENCY OFFICIALS BRAIN STORMING DURING THE MEETING

By Goth Mohamed Goth

The Minster of National planning Dr. Sacad Ali Shire opened the second meeting of the Regional Steering Committee tasked with overseeing the construction and doing feasibility studies of the Berbera  corridor which currently serves both land-locked Ethiopia and Somaliland and has the potential to become a regional trade hub was held today at the Ambassador Hotel, Hargeisa.

Regional Steering Committee is head by Prof Hassan Ali Osman who heads Somaliland Road Authority and Mr. Fuad Ahmed Hussein, the personal advisor of the Minister of Public works is comprised of two  officials from the EU, one from IGAD, Ethiopian Road Commission representative and, Ministry of National planning and the Berbera Port Authority officials.

Dr. Sacad Ali Shire speaking at the meeting said, “On behalf of the people of Somaliland I do hereby extend our appreciation to the committee for the hard work and progress that they have achieved in the last 14 years, we all know that Somaliland and its neighbors stand to benefit from this joint venture and once upon the completion it will change the economics of the whole region.

The Team had previously assessed the condition of the road links between Berbera and Addis Ababa, the Berbera port facilities, the Hargeisa and Berbera Airports and established current and future demand. Although current demand along the corridor is relatively average it’s expected to change in the near future, the consultants anticipated that reconstruction of the area and the growing export of livestock will encourage increased traffic. The Team also compared the costs and advantages of Ethiopia using the port of Berbera with those of competing ports, including Djibouti, Assab, Massawa, Mombassa and Port Sudan.

Once the demand studies were completed, specialists prepared recommendations for the improvement of the corridor transportation networks, including upgrading the Harar-Jijiga and Jijiga-Togochale roadways in Ethiopia and bridging of several flood channels.
 

The second phase of the project is to evaluate the cost and the scope of the work which required for the construction of the transport corridor which extends from Berbera –Tog wajaale which is expected to commence in June, 2014 and the awarding of the constructing contract to a suitable firm.

The Berbera – Hargeisa -Addis Ababa transport corridor is expected to be a major catalyst for trade and economic development. To support these objectives, the EU has appointed GAUFF Consultants to assess the feasibility of upgrading the port and transportation links supporting it, including the Berbera Corridor Highway, the Berbera and Hargeisa Airports and the Ethiopia-Somaliland border crossing facilities.

The improvement of this international trade route provides significant potential for increased revenues to both Somaliland and Ethiopia. To foster and monitor this trade, team had also evaluated the current capacity of the customs system and prepared recommendations to reduce smuggling between Ethiopia and Somaliland and streamline customs procedures. Among the recommendations, Team members suggested the revision of tariffs to meet current changes in the market value of goods and the use of pre-shipment inspections for higher valued items. The Team then assisted customs officials in establishing separate procedures for goods in transit and drafted improved enforcement regulations.

SomaliandPress.com

By Said Hussien

Hargeisa – Mr. Idris Moosa Omar a British national has for the past 8 days been in and out of a Hargeisa Central Police cell as a result of a falsified document prepared by the Hargeisa Court of Appeal.

Mr. Idris Moosa Omar confirmed that he had not given full power of attorney to Abdirahman Djama Yusuf and produced the document clearly indicating partial power of attorney which was verified by the Mission of the Somaliland Republic in London.

This document was incorrectly interpreted by the Hargeisa Court of Appeal to give full power of attorney to Mr Abdirahman. This falsified document enabled Mr Abdirahman to illegally let property and collect rental money without the property owner’s knowledge.

The Somaliland Constitution gives citizens the right to defend themselves in a court of law with appropriate representation yet family of Mr Idris said that he has been denied bail and denied a fair trial to defend himself against this inaccurate interpretation of the power of attorney by the Court of Appeal!

By Goth Mohamed Goth

The Minister of Water Resources and the Managing Director of Hargeisa water supply agency held a joint press conference after meeting with representatives of UAE Khaliifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation who are currently in the country visiting and inspecting the various projects funded by the foundation.

The visiting representatives of UAE Khaliifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation have pledged to provide the funds for the second phase of the project which will be in form the construction of booster stations and water storage and the extra pipelines required

“On successful completion of phase II of this alternative water supply where pipelines, booster stations and water storage will be constructed, the city of Hargeisa will see an additional 6,000 cum (at least) of water to the Hargeisa City Water Supply system,” the Mr. Ibrahim Siyad Yunis MD of Hargeisa water agency Stated.

The Water resources minister Hon Hussein Mohamed Abdille dispelled  recent speculations which alleging  that the pipeline will be diverted to the western fringes of the city instead of the eastern parts which are currently not in the supply grid and likely to face water scarcity due to lack of proper water infrastructure in place, he termed the allegation absurd .

This additional water will be targeted at the areas of Hargeisa currently not receiving water. Further the additional water will see an increase of household connections and a sharp reduction in water trucking to the capital through un-hygienic water tankers pumping water from contaminated shallow riverbed aquifers.

UAE Khaliifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation had previously through the Afro Arabian Gulf Drilling and Construction Company  have completed and handed over 10 boreholes drilled and equipped in the Humbowaayne Basin approximately 30 km NE of Hargeisa City.

SomalilandPress.com

THE CONSULTATIVE DIALOGUE OF SOMALILAND POLITICAL PARTIES (Dood-cilmiyeeka Xisbiyadda Qaranka)

THEMES: DEMOCRACY, GOVERNANCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF

SOMALILAND

Date: 10/2/14

Venue: Ambassador Hotel

Background

Despite the tremendous progress made in Somaliland’s state-building and democratization processes over the past two decades, many challenges still remain. Addressing these challenges require that the nation’s major stakeholders, including political parties, the civil society and the public come together as part of regular efforts to enrich and improve their collective political culture and social environment.

Central to the Somaliland model of development and democratization is the principle of “dialogue”, which is part and parcel of the principles of Somaliland constitution, has now become the trademark means through which its citizens and communities harness the profound power of its customary institutions in the pursuit of peace and reconciliation. Over time, Somaliland’s hybrid model of state-building, which weds traditional and modern institutions of governance and representation, has woven growing engagement with neighboring countries and the broader international community into the fabric of these dialogue processes, without compromising the core purpose behind such an approach.

As a result, traditional methods of dialogue have become embedded within accepted modern democratic political practices. Since the first popular elections in 2002, Somaliland’s has created a vibrant political atmosphere in which legal opposition parties ruling parties have served to hold the ruling party to account through vocal debate and consultation, so as to ensure that all government actions and activities meet the expectations of election pledges, operate in accordance the laws of the nation and promote equitable and sustainable development that improve the lives of all citizens.

In that backdrop, opposition parties, UCID and WADDANI, to reactivate their role in ensuring critical and constructive dialogue, that unites the entire country behind the shared goals of good

governance and international recognition, the nation’s guardians, the House of Elders (Guurti), have spearheaded negotiations between opposition parties, the ruling party (Kulmiye) and the

government over the establishment of the Consultative Dialogue for Political Parties

(Doodcilmiyeedka

Xisbibiyadda Qaranka).

The Consultative dialogue will provide the three national political parties with the opportunity to undertake discussion on a wide range of fundamental issues, including elections, foreign policy, economic development, and the Constitution of Somaliland.

The parties have agreed also that the dialogue should be hosted and facilitated by the Academy for Peace and Development (APD) in collobration Somaliland Non-state Actors Forum (SONSAF).

Therefore, APD would like to invite to submit papers that relate to the following topics:

1. Elections

a. The holding of the 2015 presidential and parliamentary elections

b. Electoral laws

c. Women’s participation

d. Minority participation

e. Voter registration

f. 2012 post-election evaluation

g. The House of Elders

2. International relations and Somaliland’s quest for recognition

a. Challenges facing Somaliland’s quest for recognition

b. The Somaliland-Somalia Dialogue

3. Development

a. Economic and social development

b. Investment

c. Natural resource management

d. Employment

4. The gaps, contradictions and required changes of the Somaliland

Constitution

a. Comparative study of Somaliland constitution

All those hoping to submit papers will need to indicate their intentions to submit a full paper by sending an email to APD with (1) the title of paper, (2) the name(s) of the author(s) and (3) an abstract. The full manuscript should be emailed as a PDF to APD

by the deadline indicated below. Authoring guidelines will be emailed to those interested

after the letter of intent is received.

Address to send all papers: Mohamed Farah APD Director: xirsi_law@hotmail.com

Important Dates

Intent to submit: 21 January 2014

Decision Date: 25 January 2014

Final version Date: 3 February 2014

call for papers in English (pdf)

call for papers in Somali (pdf)