Somaliland: Come Clean on Airspace Control and SFG Talks, State Urge

By: Yusuf M Hasan

HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – “The administration does not divulge correct information to the public as pertains to airspace agreements reached with ICAO as well as with the Somalia Federal government-SFG during internationally sanctioned talks in Turkey.

This Allegation was made by opposition Politician Ali Gurei who is a renowned SNM veteran and third chair of UCID political party during a casual tete ‘a’ tete with the media in Hargeisa where he also termed talks with the SFG as “of no benefit”

“The dialogue with Somalia set to resume next month in Turkey are not beneficial since the outcome is obscure and without essence to aspirations of Somalilanders” said Ali Gurei

Attributing his lack of confidence in the talks the former freedom fighter and a continuous thorn in the flesh of the administration, he alluded to the recent agreement between ICAO and SFG in Montreal that transferred Somaliland airspace control and management to Mogadishu while Turkey talks established otherwise.

During the 7th-9th July 2013 talks in Turkey between Somaliland and Somalia the two countries agreed on joint airspace management through a body to be established in Hargeisa and staffed by technocrats appointed by Hargeisa and Mogadishu.

While the Talks are slated for resumption in early November 2013 in Istanbul the joint airspace is not only yet to be established but the SFG has gone a step further and claimed total control and management of the Somaliland Airspace to be handed over to Mogadishu by ICAO on 1st January 2014.

This move by ICAO which was effected by signature during the recent 2013 triennium meeting the UN body held in Montreal is a follow up of its parent organization’s that saw the UNDP hand over the same airspace to the SFG earlier this year resulting in the banning of the UN managed UNHAS flights to Somaliland.

The acrimony of the airspace management authority transfer to the SFG and Subsequent banning of UN flights that took months saw successful conclusion after negotiations between senior officials from Somaliland and the UN.

Coming short of urging total discarding of the talks with Somalia Ali Gurei who Opinionating that the they, talks, are useless thus not worthy of pursuit because the SFG is not only unworthy of trust but handshake as well, called upon the administration to give citizens the opportunity to give opinion on the way forward.