Hiiraan Online
By Shafi’i Mohyaddin
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
The UK government has called on the breakaway region of Somaliland and the semiautonomous Somali state of Puntland to end their differences through negotiations to avoid from armed confrontations in the disputed areas.
Britain’s Minister for Africa Mr. Mark Simons delivered the call at a news conference in Hargeysa after meeting with the president of Somaliland Ahmed Mohamed Siilaanyo at the presidential palace on Wednesday.
“I call for end to violence and that everything must be solved on the negotiation table—I urge both administrations to work hard to avoid bloodshed” Britain’s Africa minister Mr. Mark Simons told journalists.
Mr. Simons pledged that the London government will help Somaliland develop its public services and other key areas including security.
Somaliland’s foreign minister Mohamed Bihi Yonis for his part said that his country was fully lauding for Britain’s pledges to increase its assistance to Somaliland adding that both sides also discussed on issues relating to the strengthening of the bilateral relations between UK and Somaliland.
“We have also discussed on the arrangements of a conference on Somaliland which is slated in London—such conference is much more important for the people of Somaliland” Mr Yonis told a joint press conference at the presidential palace on Wednesday.
He said that UK has accepted Somaliland’s requests to lift the travel ban on its citizens from coming to Somaliland saying that the move was part of the key victories approached by his government.
On Tuesday the British minister visited Somali capital Mogadishu where he met with president Hassan Sheik Mahmoud of the federal republic of Somalia and key government ministers.
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