“Instead of silencing history, let historical truths be discussed” Ahmet Davutoglu
By: Yusuf M Hasan
ISTANBUL (Somalilandsun) – The international community has been cautioned against entertaining any issue related to the Reunification with Somalia.
This was urged by the Somaliland minister of foreign affairs Mohamed Behi Yonis during a press briefing in the Turkish city of Istanbul where he is leading a high powered team of negotiators to Turkey hosted fifth phase of dialogue with the Somalia Federal Government-SFG.
The oft postponed talks finally kicked-off in Istanbul on the 16th Jan 2014 under the stewardship of the Turkish envoy to Somalia and Somaliland Ambassador Hani Torun who complimented gthe neigbouring countries for continued commitment to face to face dialogue thence resolve any conflicts.
According to FM Behi the continued insinuations by the SFG within international circles that Somaliland will rejoin with it were just that, innuendoes, as the 1991 declaration of exiting from the 1960 voluntary union with Somalia which cost much in blood was irrevocable and non negotiable as per the wishes of 97% of the citizens.
“Nothing short of honorable separation is on our agenda” said Behi who has reiterated the same a number of times but to the deaf ears of the SFG that continues to purport to the return of the Union that collapsed after Somaliland re-declared its self-rule and the ouster of Dictator Said Barre later on.
The two countries that met face to face for the first in 22 years at Chevening Manor house in London in early 2012 where technical committees from both sides and witnessed by British, Norway and EU officials established guidelines for the talks that were as a result of article six of the final communiqué of the London conference on Somalia of February 2012 I which Somaliland participated as sovereign nation.
Chevening and its 8 points declaration was shortly followed by a presidential meeting in Dubai that Somaliland’s Ahmed Mahmud /Silanyo meet with Sheikh Sharif then occupant of Villa Somali in Mogadishu.
The now in progress talks brings the total meets to five with the government of Turkey hosting three of them with the current expected to hopefully produce agreements that the SFG shall keep to the letter in view of having renegaded on past arrangements notably the “Air space shared with a joint administrating committee based in Hargeisa”
More hopefully the foreign minister of Turkey Ahmet Davutoglu who has been closely involved in the talks shall keep true to his belief “Instead of silencing history, let historical truths be discussed” words that embossed even on his dockets official web page
Watch Behi press breiefing and opening mremartks by Ambassador Torun
