By Mohamed Ahmed
As the new Istanbul II communique suggests, Somalia and Somaliland accepted a joint solution of almost all the agendas and substance that were raised. However, it should be noted that both sides were eminently incapable in addressing the issue of secession. The delusion that have been sweetening our pots leading up to these talks has once again disappointed the Somaliland citizens. The absence of Somaliland secession agenda again on the table is nothing more than a music to our skeptical ears. The avoidance of this agenda is particularly remarkable because of its relevance to the unity of Somalia and Secession of Somaliland. One might think both sides are not taking the most pressing agenda seriously.
 Beyond the pictorially staged and carefully choreographed settings, If you closely looked at the nine precision points agreed upon there was no new game changing development that has really been introduced. Except the acknowledgement of the atrocities committed by the late regime of Siyad Barre, nothing new was introduced on the table. Sure some may say this was not a small feat, but still it is only one issues among many contentions. The other main point that deserves a mention is the issue of air travel control. Both sides agreed to form a four member party (two from each party) that will prepare the term of reference of the air travel control board. I’m pleased that this was added since last time Somalia was not able to live up to its previous agreements of the air control.  Of course, hardly is Somalia nor Somaliland able to control their air space. Except in dividing equally the revenues collected I don’t see the big significance.
It is utmost important that Somaliland takes note at the pace of the talks. My caution today concerns the point of timing! We all agree diplomacy takes time, lots of time. But unfortunately the snail pace of these negotiations is unsurprisingly in favor of Federal government of Somalia. The biggest weapon in their arsenal is TIME. And, sad to say, most indication suggests that Somalia has nothing to lose in delaying to address the issue of secession, since they are legitimately recognized as a government.
Hence they have no government business in limbo. One might even suspect they are just buying time to carve out a sphere of influence on Somaliland once they get to sort out their ever spiraling government. A time might come when Somalia would be able to move vigorously diplomatically and gain a more leverage over Somaliland. This said, Somaliland should explicitly demand that the next round of talks address the elephant in the room. No more should Somaliland allow Somalia to treat the issue of secession as unwelcome burden! Ultimately, moreover, if there is no assurance that exists in addressing this issue, Somaliland should not reignite any more talks. Since the agendas have to be set prior to meeting now, Somaliland shouldn’t reflexively assume they are on the same page with their counterparts.
 Crucially Somaliland citizens must not be allowed to perceive that the outcome of these talks without secession agenda on the table is an inch closer to achieving their noble goal of secession. Somaliland authority should express concern over the inability to convince Somalia to start real negotiation. In the coming months, instead of recycling politicians in the current administration, the task should be to assemble a different group including Somaliland willing scholars this time.
The current foreign affairs minister of Somaliland Mr.Mohamed Bihi Yonis is a highly regarded diplomat with ability to shape Somaliland foreign policy compared to his predecessor! He seems to be a man of unsurpassed integrity and intelligence. Even though diplomats see the world differently and with different priorities I have faith in Somaliland foreign affairs minister!
In all fairness, diplomacy calls for listening, respecting and understanding. For that we should praise both sides for their temperament. In the realm of diplomatic possibilities there is of course nothing impossible! So let’s hope both sides get the courage to move on forward!
Siilaanyo never studied politics or deplomacy. His educational background. according to the to the track record still preserved by a university in Manchester UK, he attended the first two years of accountancy. He did not finish his four-year bachelor degree studies. He gave up on education and headed back to Somalia mid sixties. Any one who desputes that can ask Siilaanyo himself. As a matter of fact, Siilaanyo nevfer ever claimed that he acqiured bachelor degree in economy as many people assume. That is the dilemma of the nation of Somaliland. Any wise politician of Somaliland would have persued a double-track policy to secure deplomatic recognition for Somaliland republic. One track would have been engaging the international community for that purpose; the secound route would have been creating an active lobby in the failed Somalia to secure the two state solution. Because of Siilaany's lack of political vision, he is contented to puesue useless talks to Somalia.
Pls don't pretend to be a Somalilander because your fabricated lies proves that. Silanyo's educational background is widely known by old school guys including me that he was always being a number one student from his primary school all the way to Manchester University where he finally obtained his masters degree with distinctions. Anyway, my final word to you is , please don't lie!
Talks with out end….As a Lander I would give this round to Somalia. Our foreign minister might have qualities but how much input has he had to this round of talks? Also negotiations needs competent people to pursue them. This farce reminds me of the Palestinians negotiations with the israelis at Oslo, the Palestinians did not have a single person with an understanding of international law with them unlike the Israelis who brought a plane load.
Having a righteous cause is not good enough..the makeup of our delegation speaks volumes of our inability to take this process seriously.
Somalia can not make any foreign policy decision of its own, because foreign powers such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Qatar, Turkey, Uganda all have a say in what the weak government in Muqdisho does or does not. I agree with the writer that the element of time is not at all in favour of Somaliland agenda. But that suits Siilaanyo too, because in the heart of his hearts he would to achieve one single goal before dying i.e tricking the people of Somaliland into dubious federalisme with Somalia. That is what he is inching for. I knew the man since he was teen. Siilaanyo does not believe in independent Somaliland. However he will continue to pay lip service to that cause of political independence of Somaliland in waiting for thr right moments to realise his goal of federalisme.
And Somaliland is not controlled by Ethiopia? You know, telling half the truth might helped you spreading you propaganda in the past 20+ years , but, your time of lies has ended and it is all hunting you now, because slowly but surely the people are waking up to your lies and are defecting to Mogadishu. Already, many of the workers in villa Somalia are Somalilanders, and the comfortable they get, the more the rest will follow. Enjoy wile it last my friend, you coming home!
Unlike your country we do not have Ethiopian soldiers controlling our territory. Secondly,those crooks you mentioned to be working in villa Somalia, we call them, self centered, egomaniac, individuals who represent no one in Somaliland but their own pocket. They can go to hell and will never bother Somaliland status whatsoever.
It always amuses me that these fools in Somalia think because they have around seven or eight mercenaries from Somaliland, chasing the mighty dollar that almost three million people will be forced to give up their independence! Who give fig who works in Villa Somalia.
If Muuqdisho is happy to waste $millions of the aid intended for it's starving children on Dirty-politicians simply to feel more relevant then they more then welcome to do so. Those politicians have no interest in investing that money in Muuqdisho and buying properties in Kenya and Dubia, the moment they loose their Elusive political title they defect and expose all the secrets of the Wanlaweyn.
I looking forward to Ali Khalif galid defecting so he can expose the Shabab Hasan Sheik association!
dear my foll somalilander we need to speak out agains to the delagation that we send out their are damage to our nation
Somaliland is de facto sovereign entity where its people and government are both striving to gain international recognition through negotations with Somalia and by attracting foreign investment. In the event that negotiating with Somalia fails, there are other alternatives to follow. This time will come soon because little time is between every two bilateral meetings. For those skeptical or worried Somalilanders, I assure them that our people are confident of their capacity to live free and prosperous. We have our land, our people, our resources, and our inalienable rights to be one of the advanced nations of the world.
No need to be angry at your president and delegation. in fact they have scored a good political point by making Somalia to criticize the former government while everybody knows the civil war effected every clan in the country, atrocities were committed by all the rebels fighting the former government and the government soldiers, now that the Federal government met your demands to accept and apologize the atrocities committed in the North than its time the Northerners face the hard truth which is that Somalia will not accept succession period. It will be delayed next time to bc its a topic that the Federal government are not willing to discuss.
It is really interesting reading you all Somaliland Lovers. Irrespective of Siilanyors credentials or his delegations abilities. It seems to me you are all negative about everything ! What and where is all this negative views coming from.
Whether you like it or not these people have been elected to do the job they are holding for the nation. If you don't like it then there is clear mechanism in place via the ballot . It seems like whatever they do whatever the outcome you my friend will not be happy!
It is time to grow up 😉 love and peace
Don't listen to the Faqash and Wanlaweyn kids pretending to be Somalilanders. They lack self confidence and pretend to be Somalilanders.
Who the fvck wanna pretend to b Ethiopian bi##h crazy issaaq thinks the hole world want b like them, alcoholic,khat chewing,Jews wanne b’s lucky SFG is giving u chance to speak n said sorry for the past,lucky
We do not expect anything from uncivilized Genocidal maniacs. You were fed and raised on the XARAAM wealth stolen from our grand parents and may the curse on your parents remain on you and your Kacaan descendants.
YOU want UNITY 🙂
Your ZOOMalia is better to watch then the "Walking Dead"… 🙂 Muahaha
I totally agree with you Buuxiye.
Good point :=)
Waleweyn will never recognize Somaliland. They will just rant and rave after Somaliland. Why? They know that Somalia cannot stand on its foot firmly on the ground without Somaliland. History shows this reality. We made them people, we taught them how the affairs of a country can be run. Can anyone of you remember what kind of people waleweyn were in 1960? The only option open for Somaliland is to place a "stop" on the negotiation. Talk will never end, and Waleweyn is ready to have talks with Somalialnd with no conclusion. Are we (S/landers) ready for endless talks and deceptions, sort of?
Here is a secret recording for all to listen to. It entails the desire of Somalia to proceed deliberately with a very slow process and to give no ground. Their end game, the speaker in the tape indicates, is to hold referendum for Somalis (Somaliland + Somaliland) to decide the fate of Somaliland.
The man in the recorded tape is the Minister of the presidency of Somalia. Listen to the tape from minutes 1:48. The beginning of the tape is just Southern garbage.
http://halbeegnews.net/2014/01/20/dhegayso-cod-si…
He seems a nice guy and he seems honest person and a good somali. all he said is true, im somalilander and at the end we all somalis, somalia has no choice but to give up on their position and offcourse somaliland has taken back it's nationhood 23 years ago. trust me logic says it is so. but the guy in my judgement is a good somali.
Thank you Anab, I read it and there is nothing new to what he had to say, it's the view held by the majority of Somalis in the South. We know Siilaanyo wants a good post in the Federal Government, but he is afraid now. He also knows the inevitable which is to accept Somalia as one. I am sure you also read the outcome of the meeting which was mainly to cooperate, and both parties criticized the atrocities committed by the military government against all Somalis especially in the North. No Genocide committed,
Nothing new here Anab, they are trying on the samething as 1960's, a referendum in Somaliland & Somalia on another union. We reject, not sure even if their folks will accept, besides how long will it take to hold such a vote? I mean democracy has no hope in Somalia.
Wadani, the only thing inevitable is that Somaliland will receive its de-jure recognition.
Waryaada, these talks are useless and will be fruitless. It is nothing to do with Zoomalia or SL, but the fact that Turkey is sidelined by the bantu union called the African Union. Bantus want USA money and weapons to funnel resources to their own armies and personnel, so they dont want Zoomalian problem to go away.
Also, what is Zoomalis to Turkey or AU? If you want talks about Zoomalia, go to the bantu union and not to Turkey.
This these talks will drag on and ultimately fail. We won't accept a new union, federal or not, they won't accept our independence. Not a secession but a withdrawal from a union. Let us get that clear. So, at the end of the day, the IC and the World will have to choose, between peace or more hostility in the region.
Let us be clear, the ultimate arbiters of Somaliland are its citizens and not the current incumbent, that something the folks in Somalia cannot understand. We have a consensus govt not a dictatorship.
Awlo,
Shame on you by comparing Somaliland to Palestine. The two are unrelated.
GOSL delegation are the best and did their job welldone so far so good. Who else
would you send in their place? Looking forward to the not far away next round talks.
What other names that you have in mind?
Cheers.
It is pointless trying to educate you, as you are renowned for being a naive and emotional when it comes to politics. It is right to use the example of Palestine negotiations as an example. Planning for this sort of meeting takes months, a short visit to Addis for a "training course" is nothing short of embarrassing.
Wonder what we did to the Southerners, can some enlighten me please. Why do theY hate us
Why would a snake bite you?
It is in it's nature, Insecure and paranoid it's primary defense mechanism to self preserve is preemptive strike.
– It can't run away from you!
– It can't compete with you!
– It is not stronger then you!
It believes you will strike it the first opportunity you get… 🙂 it has no choice but to strike you first and weaken you.
Wanlawayn and Faqash are like BEASTS.
You cannot reason with it, you can only SHOW it overwhelming superiority in FORCE.
1 – Never expect their respect.
2 – Always aim to acquire their fear of you.
3 – Abandon the notion of communication as equals.
Lander, we (the south) do not hate our Isaaq brothers, in fact, we love them so much that we can't let them go!! Unfortunately, our Isaaq brothers can't let to what the military regime did, despite of the fact the the atrocities committed by the military regime had effect on whole of Somalia. It is time for our brothers Isaaq to stop blaming us ( the south) for what the military regime resorted to at that time. Riyale, who was the head Of the intelligence agency in that area and as the head, was in charge of the torturings and killings, became the President of Somaliland, and we the southerners get to blame for it, how evil is that? Enough is enough guys, let's stop this nonsense arguments and division we create among us. Let's set examples for the next generations to come and reconcile so that we and the future generations prosper.
Realtruth,
I don't see any change or guilt in your statement here Brother, what i read though from your writting is typical Southern demeanor. Same old same old dived and rule.
Isaaq and Rayale both are Somalilanders in case….. I don't see any love just a leap service, believe me we have out grown this cheap tricks . On the military Regime that killed, mimed many and displaced 100 of thousands, when all this was unfolding where on earth were you?
When our looted stuff were sold in an open market in Moqdishu and other cities were you enjoying the plunder?. ..Why people who were selling and buying this property at least express compassion and rejected this grab? Not even 1 person who could say this belongs to our brother and we should not be dealing with purloined goods? Allah sees and hears brother, Justice might be delayed and the brother Justice will be served.
And Good by
Political disputes or dialogues are a matter of scoring points. It is not a matter of revolving a bit around pretense. A state whose hero is Hirsi Gaab cannot make a score. Are you not enlightened species? No.
It is time to grow up and get used to know exactly what the state wants to be. Tribalism + hate + envy + jealousy + myopia + greed + arrogance – these are the things your arguments are based on.
What I would like to highlight is, the federal government condemned the atrocity committed by the military regime against the people of Somalia, in particularly those in north-west Somalia. It didn't give itself or the south the blame for the atrocities of the military regime, and it condemned the atrocity committed by them against the people of Somalia as a whole. So, for those who like to twist things, nor he south or the federal government is to blame for what the military regime did. And last but not least, there will be no recognition, so, instead of wasting another 20+ years, let's use our brain and let's put aside this emotional side of us that made most of us naturalised "qaxooti's" and work towards prosperous future for all. Enough is enough guys, come on.
Priority go get your house in order!
It is like asking a sheep do not enter the slaughter house?
I totally agree with the exception of the usage of the word secession instead of the word reclamation of sovereignty.
POLITICAL DISENTANGLEMENT is not a linear process as such it is not a journey from Point-A to Point-B.
In a Dissolution -Vs- Re-Union dialogue process where the two camps are given equal platform to agree future relations. It is in Somaliland's interest to remain steadfast and patient. Our key measure with which to assess the potential relevance of the dialogue process is the consequence of NO-Dialogue process of which we have 23-years of experience.
For 23-Years the corrupt Warlords and Khawarij in Muuqdisho have claimed authority in the 18-international sponsored conferences to create a viable government in Muuqdisho.
Somalia-Italia-federation does not have to Recognize Somaliland-Republic and i do not believe there is a need for such a recognition and i will tell you why.
The dialogue process between the TWO-STATES may never yield a unanimous shift in the
Dissolution -Vs- Re-union consensus and that is to be expected however the mere existence and continuation of the dialogue process is the path to Un-recognizing Somalia-Italia's sole claim to ownership over the Union.
The dialogue process was already in place when Somalia-Italia was recognized unfortunately for them they have no means to derail or exit the dialogue process without risking loss of recognition. Any conscientious Somali will already know the Union sentiment is insincere and a mere political subterfuge and sabotage of one state over another. At this point in time Somalia-Italia has no immediate need of a Union and there is no direct benefit for it to solicit such a union. A Union also serve no purpose for Somaliland-Republic then you maybe be wondering why the waste of resources on this charade by the international community and the SELECTED puppets in Somalia-Italia?
There is only one explanation!
Somalia-Italia and it's fiefdoms have zero capacity to build a genuine representative government at peace with it's neighbors and it's self. But you already knew that and due to the history between the two states that formed the un-ratified union in 1960(Somaliland & somalia) the probability of a functioning Union-government is infinitesimal.
The question is do the politicians and population of Somalia-Italia understand the consequences of the dialogue process and the agreements they are signing carelessly?
You might have already suspected but the dialogue process will lead to the UN-RECOGNITION of the Muuqdisho government and the potential initiation of a Trusteeship for the fiefdoms of Somalia-Italia. I cannot foresee a single trajectory in which the Somalia-Italia camp exit this dialogue process without total failure.
– Re-Union is not an option!
– It is not possible to terminate the dialogue process without an agreement by both states!
– Each additional agreement creates a further political entanglement that will build the relevance of a successful conclusion.
-Somaliland-Republic has nothing to loose.
-Somalia-Italia has Recognition to loose by not cooperating in the dialogue process.
It is inevitable that TWO-STATE-SOLUTION is the only viable mutually beneficial option available which will preserve all the wonderful agreements reach so far and that will be reached in due time…
This process is not for the faint of hearth.
🙂
@Lander
I am sorry if you feel that way but I can assure you like 100% the southern Somalis don't hate you. I consider myself a Southern Somali I was brought up in England from a young age.
Hargeisa was in fact the first time I visited Somalia ever in 2007 and then I got married to a cute Isaaq babe and we got three kids now. The point is I believe in unity and you should too cuz there's no point dividing among ourselves into mini tribal villages.
Geezer
Sadee, i am married to Osman Mahamoud….my wife even agrees with me on the enviousness that fills the hearts of southerners when it comes to Somaliland firm standing. What is good for you is better be left for you, and what is good for me let me decide without you preaching to me Sadee. That will exhibit a maturity on your side and tremendous respect from us.