Feb 05, 2008

Somaliland: U.S. Official Meets President


United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jenday Frazer held separate talks with Somaliland President and Opposition leaders.

United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jenday Frazer held separate talks with Somaliland President and Opposition leaders.

Below is an article written by Hashim Goth published by Adwal News Network:

United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jenday Frazer today [03-02-2008] held separate talks with Somaliland President and Opposition leaders.

Arriving the capital of the breakaway state in a previously undeclared visit, Frazer said after her meeting with opposition leaders that her government would give financial support to Somaliland’s upcoming Presidential elections due to be held in August 2008.

Probably with the armed conflict that followed the Presidential elections of Kenya, Frazer was believed to have urged Somaliland government to hold free and fair elections and the opposition leaders to maintain the peace and stability of the country.

Accompanied by heavy U.S. security, Frazer met the officials at Ambassador Hotel near the Egal International Airport.

Frazer’s visit, the first official visit of a U.S. government representative to Somaliland, comes on the heels of the visit of Somaliland’s President Dahir Rayaale Kahin to the U.S. in mid January 2008. Frazer held talks with Rayaale and his delegation in Washington D.C.

The Washington Post reported in December 2008 that U.S. officials were debating whether to shift US support from the weak Somali Transitional Federal Government in Mogadishu to the more peaceful region of Somaliland.

The report cited that the State Department opposed such move, putting them at odds with the Defense Department officials who indicated that forging ties with Somaliland could help bring stability to the whole of Somalia.

Earlier the United States affirmed that a meeting between its senior diplomat for Africa and the president of Somaliland did not reflect an attempt to bolster its hopes for independence.

In remarks he made after Frazer’s meeting with Rayaale, State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said the meeting between Jendayi Frazer, assistant secretary of state for African affairs, and Rayaale Kahin was aimed at discussing ways to stabilize the war torn country.

“There's no change in our policy position vis-a-vis recognition of Somaliland,” McCormack said, adding “We are not on the verge of recognizing Somaliland.”

He added that the U.S. believed that Somaliland’s independence should be settled by the African Union.

Frazer’s sudden visit, however, reflects that rapid developments could be taking place in the relations between Somaliland and the U.S, particularly after the latest civil unrest in Kenya and the deteriorating security situation in Mogadishu.