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State
Department: US Not Moving To Recognize Somaliland
(Washington
January 18,
2008 Ceegaag Online)
The
Bush administration said Thursday the United States is not
recognizing Somaliland as an independent country despite a
State Department visit earlier this week by the breakaway
Somali region's leader, Dahir Rayale Kahin. U.S. officials
say they defer to the African Union on the recognition
issue. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State
Department.
The
luncheon meeting Monday between Kahin and Assistant
Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer was
the highest-level contact between the parties in several
years.
But
officials here insist it does not portend any early U.S.
move to recognize the self-proclaimed independent region of
northwestern Somalia, but rather is part of broad U.S.
contacts with Somali parties and political figures.
Somaliland declared its independence in 1991 as the rest of
Somalia descended into civil conflict. It has enjoyed
relative stability and elected governments, though it lacks
international recognition.
At a
news briefing, State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack
said the fact of Monday's meeting does not mean the United
States is on the verge of recognizing Somaliland and that
U.S. policy on the matter is unchanged.
He
said U.S. officials believe it important to have contacts
with responsible political figures from all over Somalia,
who have an interest in building the country's institutions
and taking it to, as he put it, a more hopeful future:
"Certainly Jendayi's [Frazer's] meetings fall solidly within
that category, and it's a policy we are going to continue to
pursue," said Sean McCormack. "We have interests in fighting
terrorism in Somalia as well as in the Horn of Africa. Part
of trying to bring about some greater stability in Somalia,
writ large, involves working with the political parties,
encouraging the political parties and political leaders in
Somali to come together."
McCormack said the United States defers to the African Union
as the appropriate forum to address the recognition issue.
Recent U.N. Security Council resolutions on Somalia, backed
by the United States, reaffirm support for the sovereignty,
territorial integrity, political independence and unity of
the country.
The
United States has had no diplomatic presence in Mogadishu
for more than a decade, but supports the U.N.-backed
transitional government there. Officials say they engage
with Somaliland as a regional administration.
The
Somaliland leader also had Washington meetings this week
with officials from White House National Security Council,
the Defense Department, and the U.S. Agency for
International Development.
His
late predecessor as Somaliland president, Muhammad Ibrahim
Egal, had a similar round of Washington meetings in 1999.
Source: VOA
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