- Title: [SW News] (the Republican-Hargeisa) Paper Warns Djibouti and Ethiopia against
destabilizing Somaliland
- From:[]
- Date :[]1999-12-20 01:36:42
:PAPER WARNS DJIBOUTI, ETHIOPIA AGAINST DESTABILIZING SOMALILAND
Time: 1999-12-20 01:36:42
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom ; 19-Dec-1999 10:40:51 am ++++ Whether
[Somaliland] President [Ibrahim] Egal flies in the next few days to Ethiopia (as reported
during last week) or not, it is still important that our government conveys to the
Ethiopian leadership the popular feelings in this country with regard to the position of
our neighbouring states on the cause of Somaliland and the process of peace and
reconciliation in the former Italian colony of Somalia. Firstly, it should be clearly
understood that Somalilanders will never compromise on their independence nor will they
abandon their struggle for gaining international diplomatic recognition for the country...
Despite the huge domestic challenges, Somaliland has not only been caring about its
stability and peace, we have been sensitive, too, to the security of our immediate
neighbours as well. In this respect, Somaliland has repeatedly expressed its goodwill and
desire for bilateral cooperation on all aspects to the governments of Ethiopia and
Djibouti. The truth is, whenever Somaliland sought to establish stronger and mutually
beneficial relations with each of these two countries, it was rebuffed. Moreover,
Somaliland has been victim to a series of hostile military and political actions launched
from its neighbouring countries... Ethiopian government supports warlord Abdullahi Yusuf
[leader of Puntland] who has been trying, though unsuccessfully, to drag Somaliland into
an unnecessary war with his clan militiamen. To arm a Somali warlord to commit incursions
into Somaliland territories can hardly be translated into an act of goodwill. The
reactivation of SNF [Somali National Movement] renegades by Djibouti is another example of
the continuing threats posed by these two countries against Somaliland. Perhaps our
brothers in Djibouti and Addis Ababa, have misunderstood our friendly gestures as a point
of weakness unless they have other explanations to tell for behaving so illogically with
the people of this country. But observance of peace and stability of a neighbour can not
be a one way street obligation. As universally understood, peace and stability that is not
based on reciprocal relationship cannot be maintained. In this context, the people of
Somaliland feel betrayed by leaders of its two neighbouring countries lying along its
southwestern border. We never expected that there would be more international sympathy and
consensus about the validity of the Somaliland cause than those kept by our immediate
neighbours who have shown so far an efficacy of suppressing the possibilities of
international recognition of Somaliland. Secondly, the Somaliland people are not
advocating a position that would block diplomatic efforts, regional or international, that
seek bringing Somalia's tragedy to an end. We are, however, reasonably alarmed by
so-called peace plans that threaten our own hard-won peace and stability.... But we know
that all those efforts run aground not only because they were advanced by non-Somalis but
also because all the plans were designed with pretense that Somaliland did not exist as an
independent entity. Djibouti's latest initiative which was handled with much of unusual
fanfare by the Somali Section of the BBC in fact suggests there is no departure from
previous IGAD [Inter-Governmental Authority on Development] and Arab attempts to isolate
Somaliland. Moreover, this plan has already brought along a disturbing impact on
Somaliland's tranquility. Is it not naive to undertake attempts that may destabilize
Somaliland in the name of seeking stability for Somalia?...++++ Source: `The Republican',
Hargeisa, in English 18 Dec 99 p 1
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