Somalia, Somaliland talks postponed
The Turkish-sponsored talks between Somalia’s central government and a breakaway region in northern Somalia were postponed few hours before it was set to open in Istanbul on Thursday, officials said.
No reason was given for the delay; however, the two sides that convened several meetings seem to be preparing for a tougher new round of talks.
Somaliland says the talks would be reopened in March. Somali government is yet to comment on the new development.
The leaders for two sides held series of meetings late in 2014 in Djibouti, concurring the resumption of the talks for this year.
Somaliland which declared a unilateral independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991 has been seeking an international recognition, however, their efforts haven’t so far proved successful.
Somalia wants to convince Somaliland to reunite with Somalia, an approach long dismissed by Somaliland.
