Somaliland warns against "declarations of sovereignty"

The authorities in the self-declared republic of Somaliland have issued a warning against anyone trying to represent the region at the ongoing Somali peace talks in Kenya. In a statement, received by IRIN on Monday, Somaliland warned Somali leaders and the international community to "abstain from any unfriendly declaration or acts against Somaliland". "In the event that any person claims to be representing the government of Somaliland and/or its people in the ongoing Somalia Peace Conference, and in the event that such person or persons are accorded such status, the government of Somaliland hereby officially states that this will hinder any possible future dialogue between Somaliland and any future legitimate government of Somalia (former Italian Somalia) [brackets as received]", the statement said. The Somaliland minister of information, Abdillahi Muhammad Duale, added that Somaliland welcomed any peace deal between the parties "in the former Italian Somalia", but added "this has nothing to do with us". Some Somali leaders attending the peace talks in Kenya have, in the past, proposed that extra delegates be allocated to represent Somaliland and have repeatedly called for the region to be brought into the process. Duale told IRIN that Somaliland's position was well-known. "Our position has always been constant," he said. "We have never been part of previous processes and we will not be part of this one or future ones". "Any claims or declarations of sovereignty over Somaliland by a future Somalia government will be viewed by Somaliland as an indication of hostile intent," he warned. The Somaliland statement said the authorities were prepared to take part in a dialogue with Somalia "as equal partners, when and if a legitimate, democratically-elected government is established in Somalia (former Italian Somalia) with the full support and mandate of the people of Somalia". Somaliland, a former British protectorate, declared unilateral independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991, but has received no international recognition.