The Voice Of Somaliland: COLLECTIVE STATEMENT OF SOMALILAND'S NATIONAL POLITITAL PARTIES

Monday, October 31, 2005

COLLECTIVE STATEMENT OF SOMALILAND'S NATIONAL POLITITAL PARTIES

It is Our greatest pleasure to well come you to Somaliland and to let you know that we appreciate your visit. We hope that your visit is both pleasurable and fruitful to our country. We have decided to take advantage of your visit by submitting to you this collective statement.

As you may all know, Somaliland obtained it's independence on 26 June 1960 from the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland after 87 Years of Colonial rule. The sovereign state of Somaliland, which was by then recognized by more then 30 Countries including the five member permanent states of the Security Council, decided voluntarily to unite with the former Italian Somalia on 1ST July 1960. It's important to note here the Somaliland's revocation of that union with Somalia doesn’t violate that 1963 Charter of the Organization of African Unity ( OAU ), It's also important to note that the people of Somaliland rejected the obligatory Act of Union, when it was later presented to them in a constitutional referendum.

Any brief study of the history of the United Somali Republic will teach all of us that the Union was ill-fated. Firstly, it was based on the desire of the Somali people to create a greater Somalia, a dream that was not then as now supported by the international Community at large. Secondly, power sharing arrangements largely put in place by our brothers in Somalia were wholly unfair and directly resulted in the marginalization and underdevelopment of Somaliland. Thirdly, the union lead to a disastrous struggle for independence in which the political and military machinery of Somalia was used to destroy Somaliland between 1988 and 1991.

On 18 May 1991, after 30 Years of Union with Somalia, the people of Somaliland declared their Union with Somalia as non-existent and they have re-claimed their independence and sovereign State. In May 2000, the people of Somaliland re-affirmed their independence in a referendum in which more than 97% voted to maintain Somaliland as a separate and independent State.

Somaliland is proud of it's recent history. Somaliland has built peace out of chaos and has embarked on democratization process unprecedented in this region. The people of Somaliland elected President and Vice-president. In few Months, the people of Somalila elected president and Vice-president. In a few months, the people of Somaliland have achieved their final march towards full democracy by electing legislators in the House of Representatives. Many in the international community are now describing Somaliland as " the miracle in the horn" or " Africa's best kept secret" the people of Somaliland are, indeed, very proud that they have succeeded in the face of international hostility to their ambitions and aspiration.

We are also proud of the achievements of our people in developing their own country. Our private sector is creating opportunities unparalleled in our history that are already erasing the ill-affects of more than 30 years of marginalization and the disastrous effects of a destructive civil war by a brutal and genocidal Somalia dictatorship.

The three national political parties of Somaliland wish to re-affirm to your delegation that:

Somaliland's independence is irreversible and not negotiable at all. We wish our brothers in Somalia all the best and hope that one day soon they will find true reconciliation. We, however, will not re-join them in any Union.

Somaliland is peaceful country. We have no intention to violate the territorial integrity of any of our neighbors and we are collectively prepared to defend the territorial integrity of Somaliland. We are saddened by the silence of the International Community, including all members of the UN, when our territorial integrity is violated by southern warlords.

The three National political Parties of Somaliland very much hope that you will take note of the following.

It is our considered opinion that the Secretary General effort at finding solution for the never ending Civil War and political crises is nothing more but a rehashing of the discredited policies which has been pursued by his predecessor. It goes without saying that strategy at finding a political solution in the former UN-Italian Trust-territory of Somalia failed miserably in spite of UN sponsored or endorsed 14 so-called reconciliation Conferences. The UN Promised to allocate resources in the form of peace dividend to areas where a successful peace and stability prevails. The UN is fully aware of the fact that Somaliland managed without external resources to build it's social and economical institutions. The UN unfortunately adopted a negative attitude towards the achievements of Somaliland.

The UN and IGAD partners have squandered scarce resources in supporting various Political schemes designed in finding final political solution which all ended as an exercise in futility. The UN has also failed to live-up to it's repeated promises. This is more so in the case of the UN secretariat and the office of Mr. Kofi Annan whom we think decided to adopt a policy of benign neglect towards Somaliland.
We are often dismayed to note that the quarterly Secretary General's Report on Somaliland and Somalia is based on hearsay and rumors and it is particularly more so in the case of information provided in this Report since there are no reliable Representative of the Secretary Generals political office in Somaliland.

We hope that the UN will respect the sovereignty of Somaliland which 97% of it's population have opted for.

We strongly believe that having consolidated peace, stability and democratization which merits to be treated as role model in the region which should not be deprived of external funding by the international donor Community.

The UN therefore should henceforth refrain from dealing with Somaliland as pariah political entity. That the people of Somaliland and their political leaders all believe that Somaliland deserves immediate and full recognition.

That the people of Somaliland created peace and prosperity in their land and that further denial of their rights to self-determination and continued marginalization and hostility from the international community is unnecessary and unfairly punishes the people of this country.

That the people of Somaliland strongly believe that they are being kept hostage to the desires and designs of southern Somalia warlords who have thus far refused to consummate a single agreement even after the best effort of the international community. Our people feel that this rewarding of the warlords is unjustifiable.

That Somaliland has fulfilled all that is required for Statehood. We hope that you will be given a fair opportunity to state our case to the UN in the first possible meeting of it's member States.

All three political parties represented here wish to affirm to you again that we are committed to creation of a democratic, independent, Somaliland that is able to take care of it's citizens. We will continue to work hard to achieve our goals and hope that our brothers in Africa will remove the obstacles placed in by the denial of our sovereignty.

We wish you all a pleasant trip back and look forward to any and all future collaboration with you and the UN.

Signed By

DA'UD MOHAMED GELLE

SECRETARY GENERAL FOR KULMIYE PARTY

A/RAXMAN ABDILLAHI

SECRETARY GENERAL FOR UCID PARTY

MOHAMED ISMAIL BULALE

SECRETARY GENERAL FOR UDUB PARTY

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