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| Last Updated: Dec 15, 2011 - 11:05:44 AM |
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Somalia says no to Somaliland’s recognition bid
5 Mar 5, 2010 - 2:43:51 AM
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Somalia’s third deputy prime minister said the fragile UN-backed government in chaotic Mogadishu is the only authority that represents the war-torn country, urging world not to recognize the break-away regions.
Abdiwahid Elmi Omar, who is also Minister of Energy and Petroleum for the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia told reporters that no foreign country would recognize Somaliland, which he describe a regional authority formed in country, as an independent state.
“Any country that recognizes Somaliland we see as one that wants to divide Somalia and we will hold them accountable,” he said, in reference to recent statement made by a spokesman for the Israeli foreign ministry, who said that his government will recognize Somaliland,
“The Federal Somali government is responsible for the affairs of the whole country and the existence regional authorities (Somaliland and Puntland) are part of it,” he added.
On the other hand, Omar announced that the weak UN-backed is the only authority to sign agreement with foreign companies and that regional authorities have no authority to do so.
“Regional authorities in Somalia are prohibited from signing economic agreements with foreign partners that injected direct investments and development projects into local economies,” he told reporters.
However, Somalia’s state of Puntland quickly responded the minister's announcement, saying the fragile TFG has no tangible authority in the ground.
“We are very sorry that a TFG Deputy Prime Minister, who does control neither his own constituency nor his government's headquarters, makes that irrelevant show-off of political plunder,” said Puntland’s government statement.
The government of Puntland recently inked agreement with two foreign oil companies that would carry out oil exploration in region.
GAROWE ONLINE
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