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The Puntland authorities have officially rejected the Somali peace talks currently underway in Djibouti, according to the Somali newspaper ‘Ayaamaha’. In a letter to the Djibouti president, the UN Secretary-General, the regional IGAD grouping, the OAU and other involved parties, the president of the Puntland regional government Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmad said his administration “will never participate in the ongoing Somali conference and will not recognise its outcome”. “We would like to make clear to the world that Puntland has no delegation at the conference,” the letter stated. It pointed out that any attempt by the Djibouti government to appoint Puntland representatives would be considered as a “hostile provocation”. The Puntland authorities claimed the aim of the Djibouti conference was to make “short-term political and economic gains”.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan meanwhile urged all Somalis to take part in the Djibouti process. His spokesman quoted Annan as saying he was encouraged by the fact the peace conference had moved into its second phase. Annan added he hoped this would lead to agreement on a transitional arrangement “that would safeguard Somalia’s sovereignty and prepare the ground for a lasting settlement”.
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