• BOSSASO, Somalia– The speaker of Somalia’s federal parliament and a 22-member...
delegation landed at the Red Sea port city of Bossaso today. Speaker Sharif Hassan, leading members of Somalia’s federal government including MPs and Cabinet ministers, left the government base at Baidoa on an official 4-day visit to Puntland.
At Bender Qassim International Airport, Speaker Sharif’s delegation was warmly welcomed by thousands of people and by the Puntland president and his vice, Mohamud “Adde” Muse and Hassan Dahir, respectively.
Speaker Sharif said that he was “very happy” to be visiting the Puntland regions of northern Somalia. He visited the south Puntland city of Galkayo in mid-February along with the Somali president and prime minister.
Sharif Hassan is scheduled to hold talks with the Puntland leadership about the recent public exchange between Professor Ali Muhammad Gedi, Somalia’s prime minister, and Puntland president Adde Muse. Premier Gedi contends that only the federal government has the right to explore Somalia’s natural resources. In response, Puntland leaders said they will sever ties to the federal government as long as Gedi is premier.
Last year, the Puntland regional government signed a controversial exploration deal with Range Resources, Ltd., an Australian company. The legal and political dispute over the legitimacy of the Puntland-Range agreement led to violent confrontations in remote Puntland villages last March.
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