UNITED
NATIONS, May 7
-- When the UN
announced on
May 3 that its
Deputy
Secretary
General Jan
Eliasson would
represent the
Organization
at today's
London
Conference on
Somalia, Inner
City Press immediately
asked
if it's the
UN's
understanding
that
Somaliland is
represented at
the conference.
The
context of the
request was
the refusal
in early April
to circulate
Somaliland's
letter to
members of the
UN Security
Council, as
exclusively
covered by
Inner City
Press, here.
So
Inner City
Press asked
UN
spokesperson
Martin Nesirky:
Inner
City Press:
About the
Deputy
Secretary-General
going to this
Somalia
conference in
London. Is it
the UN’s
understanding
that the
issues of
Somaliland [is
represented],
there is a lot
of controversy
about whether
the new UN
mission, how
it covers
Somaliland,
whether it
should be a
separate unit.
Somaliland
wrote a letter
to the Council
last month
that didn’t
get
distributed,
but are they
participating,
does the UN
think that in
going to this
conference it
is dealing
with both
Somalia and
what is called
Somaliland and
Puntland, or
just a certain
part of
Somalia?
Spokesperson:
As I mentioned
at the outset,
this is a
conference
that is
co-hosted by
the
Governments of
Somalia and
the United
Kingdom. So, I
suggest that
you check with
them on who is
and is not
invited and
taking part.
For
what it's
worth, Inner
City Press replied
to an
exuberant
tweet by the
UK's William
J. Hague,
asking if
Somaliland is
represented.
The response
that came, not
from Hague or
the UK
government,
was that
Somalia
represents
Somaliland.
But
that's
certainly
contrary to
the letter
which was not
circulated in
the UN, and to
this
op-ed. So
why is the UN
closing its
eyes?
This
morning, DSG
Eliasson's
speech was
circulated:
and it does
not once
mention
Somaliland, or
Puntland. Does
the UN think
this issue
will just go
away? Watch
this site.
, 
