Washington: Recognition support for Stable Puntland Somaliland [No secession]..

[General Duke]

U.S. boosts ties with break-away Somalia regions

 

U.S. targets Somaliland, Puntland for new outreach

 

* Says no plans for full diplomatic recognition

 

* Asian, Arab countries should contribute more - U.S.

 

By Andrew Quinn

 

NEW YORK, Sept 24 (Reuters) - The United States is increasing ties with two semi-autonomous regions in Somalia, hoping to build stability for the embattled central government and African Union forces deployed in the virtually lawless nation, a top U.S. diplomat said on Friday.

 

Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson said U.S. officials were developing ties with authorities in both Puntland and Somaliland, both of which declared themselves independent in the early 1990s when the Horn of Africa nation descended into civil war and anarchy.

 

Carson said the United States did not plan to recognize either government as an independent state. But he said increased U.S. cooperation, particularly on aid and development, could head off inroads by Islamist Al Shabaab insurgents, who stepped up their fight to topple Somalia's Western-backed central administration last month.

 

"Both of these parts of Somalia have been zones of relative political and civil stability and we think they in fact will be a bulwark of extremism and radicalism that might emerge from the south," Carson told a news briefing.

 

Carson said the United States would also reach out to groups in south central Somalia, including local governments and family clans, that are opposed to Al Shabaab but not aligned formally or directly with the government in Mogadishu.

 

Carson stressed he United States would continue to recognize only a single Somali state and would work to strengthen the transitional government of President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, which has lost control of much of Mogadishu and much of southern and central Somalia to the Al Shabaab rebels.

 

"We do not contemplate and we are not about to recognize either of these entities or areas as independent states," Carson said.

 

But he added that both regions could expect more concrete U.S. help with education, agriculture and water projects.

 

"In the past we have not engaged these areas and political entities aggressively. We will now start to do so," Carson said.

[General Duke]

We believe that the problem in Somalia is both a regional and a global problem and in fact should be shared globally," Carson told a news briefing, arguing that increased piracy off Somalia's coast is a direct threat to both oil shipping and other trade between Europe and Asia.

 

Carson said he had spoken to Japan about increasing its support, but believed countries such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia also had a direct stake in stabilizing Somalia.

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

What puntland declared independence in the early 1990s

[General Duke]

US to build ties with breakaway Somali republics.

By MATTHEW LEE

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

NEW YORK — The Obama administration plans to strengthen ties with two breakaway republics in northern Somalia to blunt a growing threat from Islamist extremists accused of links to al-Qaida, a senior U.S. official said Friday.

 

The U.S. will begin "aggressive" engagement with the self-declared northern republics of Somaliland and Puntland, while continuing support of Somalia's weak central government, as part of an effort to prevent the spread of radical ideology espoused by the al-Shabab militia, said Johnnie Carson, the top U.S. diplomat for Africa.

 

Carson said the U.S. will also promote development in areas controlled by local clans in south-central Somalia that are not allied with either the government or al-Shabab.

 

The planned U.S. effort to build relations with Somaliland and Puntland, which have been largely peaceful while the rest of Somalia has descended into chaos with no functioning central government since 1991, marks an important shift in U.S. policy. Al-Shabab has emerged as a significant threat to regional and international security in recent years.

 

"We think that both of these parts of Somalia have been zones of relative political and civil stability and we think they will, in fact, be a bulwark against extremism and radicalism that might emerge from the south," Carson said.

 

"In the past, we have not engaged these areas, political entities, aggressively," he said. "We will now start to do so."

 

Carson said the U.S. would not establish formal diplomatic relations with the two entities or recognize their independence, but would help their governments with agriculture, water, health and education projects. Diplomats at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, will lead the effort and increase their informal visits to Somaliland and Puntland.

 

The aim is "to see how we can help them improve their capacity to provide services to their people," Carson said.

 

Somaliland declared its independence from Somalia in 1991 and has remained relatively peaceful while southern Somalia has degenerated into anarchy. Somaliland has its own security and police forces, justice system and currency, but it is not recognized by any other nation. Puntland, also in the north, declared itself an autonomous state in 1998.

 

Carson said the U.S. also plans to provide more aid to Somalia's Transitional Federal Government, which is under siege by al-Shabab and supported by an African Union military mission dominated by Ugandan troops.

 

He did not elaborate, but the U.S. has in the past supplied the African troops with weapons and other equipment and is providing training to Somali security forces.

 

To counter al-Shabab, Carson said, the U.S. would also look to support "local governments, clans and sub-clans" in south-central Somalia that do not back either the militia or the federal administration.

 

"We will look for opportunities to work with these groups to see if we can identify ways of supporting their development initiatives and activities," he said.

 

Al-Shabab aims to overthrow the internationally backed central government and impose a strict brand of Islam countrywide.

 

The group claimed responsibility for the deadly bombings that killed scores of civilians watching the World Cup finals in Uganda in July. Al-Shabab said it sought to avenge the deaths of civilians allegedly killed by shelling by African Union peacekeepers.

 

Source: AP

[AfricaOwn]

Originally posted by General Duke:

* Says no plans for full diplomatic recognition

 

 

Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson said U.S. officials were developing ties with authorities in both Puntland and Somaliland, both of which declared themselves independent in the early 1990s when the Horn of Africa nation descended into civil war and anarchy.

 

Dukey,

 

Are you a secessionist?

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

Duke is a secessionist in disguise

[General Duke]

^^^You just quoted an important line and ask me the question? * "Says no plans for full diplomatic recognition"

[AfricaOwn]

Originally posted by Xaji_Xunjuf:

What puntland declared independence in the early 1990s

I guess the boy is a secessionist . We can always refer to this article and the others that were released to day to proof his one.

[AfricaOwn]

Originally posted by General Duke:

US to build ties with breakaway Somali republics

 

By MATTHEW LEE Associated Press Writer

 

 

The U.S. will begin "aggressive" engagement with the self-declared northern republics of Puntland,

[General Duke]

Carson said the U.S.

would not establish formal diplomatic relations

with the two entities or recognize their independence, but would help their governments with agriculture, water, health and education projects. Diplomats at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, will lead the effort and increase their informal visits to Somaliland and Puntland.

 

The aim is

"to see how we can help them improve their capacity to provide services to their people,"

Carson said.

Carson stressed he

[/b]

[/i]

United States would continue to recognize only a single Somali state

[/b]

[/i]

Puntland gets recognition for our hard work, stability and also a single Somali state which is a corner stone of its viison.

[Saalax]

lol@ bugland iis qorqor badana since when did they became a breakaway republic?

[General Duke]

But we will also be pursuing a second track, which we think is also increasingly

important,

and that is we will work to engage more actively with the governments of

Puntland and Somaliland. We hope to be able to have more American diplomats and aid

workers going into those countries on an ad hoc basis to meet with government

officials to see how we can help them improve their capacity to provide services to

their people, seeing whether there are development assistance projects that we can

work

with them on. We think that both of these parts of Somalia have been zones of

relative political and civil stability, and we think they will, in fact, be a

bulwark against extremism and radicalism that might emerge from the south.

[Saalax]

Originally posted by Xaji_Xunjuf:

What puntland declared independence in the early 1990s

[General Duke]

QUESTION:

Well, actually, what you said about Somaliland and Puntland, at one point you referred to them as countries. Are you contemplating some kind of a diplomatic recognition?

 

ASSISTANT SECRETARY CARSON:

[/b]

[/i]

No, we are not. We believe that we should follow the African Union position on this. We still recognized only a single Somali state.

[/b]

[/i]

This is the position of the Africa Union, which is the most important and largest continental regional body.

We do not contemplate and we are not about to recognize either of these entities or areas as independent states.

 

 

[AfricaOwn]

Originally posted by General Duke:

Puntland gets recognition

for our hard work, stability and also a single Somali state which is a corner stone of its viison.

A reminder: Read through the U.N. Monitoring Group on Somalia. UN cites reports of puntland govt links to Somalia pirates

 

You're not working hard enough dukey.