By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, June 13 -- At the UN noon briefing on June 13, it was proudly announced that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's new British envoy to Somalia, Nicholas Kay, was making his first visit to Somaliland, which he called an "island of relative peace."
Hours later, sources in Hargeisa called Inner City Press saying Kay was told that his UNSOM mission cannot operate in Somaliland -- its mandate is for Somalia, of which Somaliland says it is not a part.
The sources told Inner City Press that Kay declined to speak to the media in Hargeisa and instead "flew off to Nairobi."
As Inner City Press reported in April, Somaliland's letter to the Security Council was never distributed to the Council members. Then the UN system gave Somaliland's airspace to Somalia, triggering a ban on UN flights.
The UN's idea seems to be if they just pretend everything's ok, and bandy about the compliment that there is much to be learned for Somaliland, the problem (from the perspective of the UN and Mogadishu) will go away, and a "shotgun marriage" can be effectuated. Watch this site.
