Somaliland: Foreign Minister Submits letter to the UN Security
Council
Dr Omar wants security of economic zones Dr Omar wants security of
economic zones By Yusuf M Hasan
NEW YORK (Somaliland) – As the visiting head of Somaliland Pr esident
Ahmed Mahmud Silanyo prepares to meet with citizen s of his country
living in the USA at Chantilly, Virginia, his fore ign minister has
submitted a letter to the UN Security Council.
In his letter, the Somaliland foreign minister Dr Mohamed Abd ilahi
Omar says his country disputes the right of Somalia to establish any
"exclusive economic zone" off its coastline; it urges the UN system
not to put its Hargeisa offices under a structure based in
Mogadishu.
In the Security Council on April 25, UN Department of Political
Affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman said the UN welcomes Somalia and
Somaliland talking.
Below are the full excerpts of the letter
H.E. Mr. Eugène Richard Gasana President of the UN Security Council
Permanent Representative of the Republic of Rwanda to the UN
Your Excellency,
1 April 2013
On 22 March 2013, the Government of the Republic of Somaliland had
the honour to welcome to Hargeisa the UN's Technical Assessment
Mission (TAM), which was mand ated by UN Secu rity Council Resolution
2093 (2013) to consider the implementation of a new UN Mission in
the region. I wish to summarize for the benefit of the members of
the Security Council the points that my government raised with the
UN team.
The past year has been a critical one for the transition in Somalia.
My government hopes that under the new leadership that has taken
shape in Somalia, our neighbours will see a return to effective
governance, and the re-‐establishment of peace and stability. At
the same tim e, we urge the international community to continue to suppo rt my country, Somaliland, whic h remains a bulwark of peace and
stability in the Horn of Africa. As a flourishing democracy that has
engaged in an extensive process of nat ional reconciliation, we also
believe that our experience can be of value to our neigh bors as they
embark on critical state building and peacebuilding tasks.
To ensure that the UN's future engagement in the region is both
effective and efficie nt, it mu st be guided by the reality that
Somaliland is separate from Somalia and has followed a quite
different course during the past 21 years since our people
re-‐ass erted the independence that we achieved from the United
Kingdom in 1960 as part of the decolonization process. Any UN
presence in Somaliland must therefore have specifically tailored
priorities and strategies, and must make its decisions regarding our
development partnership without prejudice to the politics or
interests of the federated regions of Somalia. The UN must respect
its stated guiding principle of "do no harm" and make sure that none
of its interventions in Somaliland and Somalia undermine the
capacity of the Somaliland government to function in the service of
the citizens who have democratically endorsed its authority.
In this regard, while we welcome the TAM's assurances of a robust UN
presence in Ha rgeisa headed by a senior official, we believe it
would be wrong for the UN's presence in Somaliland to be subsumed
under a management structure based in Mogadishu, as is apparently
being proposed. The government in Mogadishu is not in a position to
advise the UN on Somaliland's development needs and priorities—any
UN activities should therefore be managed from Soma liland by the
permanent team already envisioned for our country. Not only would
this allow Somaliland to benefit directly from the UN's expertise,
it would also enable more UN staff to experience at first-‐ hand
Somaliland's effective approach to peace-‐building and democra cy—
knowledge that is also integral to building sustainable governance
in neighbouring Som alia. I would add that my government's ability to
protect the security and safety of our citize ns and international
visitors, including UN staff, is well established.
At the London Conference on Somalia in February 2012, the
participants recognized the need for the international community to
support a dialogue between Somaliland and the TFG or its successor
in order to clarify their future relations. That decision was
endorsed by the Istanb ul II Conference on 1 June 2012. A first,
historic round of talks took place at Chevening House in the UK
later that month, and President Silanyo subsequently met President
Sheikh Sharif in Dubai on 28 June to ratify what was agreed.
My government believes strongly that this dialogue should resume as
soon as practic able and should retain its unique character as a
process conducted between govern ments. The dialogue is very
important for the future stability of the Horn of Africa an d the
wellbeing of its people. In the longer term, it offers the prospect
of Somaliland and Somalia reaching agreement about Somaliland's
status. But in the near term, the dialogue is an opportunity for us
to talk to Somalia about issues of practical concern, such as
cooperation on terrorism, piracy, extremism, serious crime, illegal
fishing and the dumping of toxic waste at sea, as well as a wide
range of economic issues, the resolution of which will benefit both
our peoples. We call on the UN, and the wider international
community to support the early resumption of the dialogue.
I wish to reiterate, however, that given our people's decision to
re-‐assert our ind epende nce in 1991, it is unacceptable to
Somaliland that the new draft Somalia consti tution purpo ts to lay
claim to our territory. Somaliland emphatically rejects any such
claim. For the same reason, we oppose, and will not recognize, any
attempt by the Government of Somalia to de clare an Exclusive
Economic Zone (EEZ) which purports to include the waters adjacent to
the coast of Somaliland. The Government of Somaliland reserves the
right to declare and enforce its own 200-‐nautical mile EEZ, and to
exercise jurisdiction and sovereign rights within the EEZ in
accordance with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Meanwhile, I can confirm that Somaliland will continue to play a
significant role in the internat ional community's efforts to
maintain peace and security on the Horn of Afri ca. As an indepe ndent
and integral force in the fight against piracy, Somaliland will
continue to work with UNO DC, the EU and the International Contact
Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia to develop institutions and
policing capabilities for the prev ention, prosecution and punishment
of acts of piracy up to international standards of human rights. To
this end, Somaliland has concluded a bilateral agreement with the
Government of the Seychelles over the transfer of convicted pirate
prisoners, and changed its own laws to allow it to receive such
prisoners. In addition, Somaliland cooperates directly and works
jointly with the Governments of the US, UK and Ethi opia, amongst
others, in the fight against terrorism, and on the promotion of
regional stabili ty. The rapidly changing political dynamics of the
region will only increase the burden faced by the Somaliland
government in these areas in the near term, meaning that continued
intern ational support for safeguarding and strengthening government
in Somaliland should remain the objective of the UN and the broader
international community.
The Somaliland people are grateful for the contribution made by the
UN and donor governm ents to humanitarian and development assistance
in our country over the year s. We will con tinue to contribute to
international efforts to build a more peaceful Horn of Africa,
including by cooperating with the new Government in Somalia in areas
of mutual concern. Such positive engagement will only succeed if the
UN and the wider international community acknowledge our unique
status and help us to consolidate our achievements. The original
Somali state fa iled because it ignored the interests and wishes of
all of its peoples. It would not be in anyo ne's interests, including
those of the government in Mogadishu, to repeat the errors of the
past by repudiating the reality of Somaliland's unique status and
the reality on the ground, which would only serve to lessen the
chances of establishing peace and stability across our region.
Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest
consideration.
Dr Mohamed A Omar
Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation
Republic of Somaliland
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