Mogadishu (PP News Desk) — Puntland State President Said Abdul Deni has said he is “sanguine about an electoral deal to be struck soon”. President Deni told a reporter from Dalsan Television that Puntland did not demand the inclusion of non-signatories in the electoral talks.
“We have proposed that some dignitaries be invited to the first and the last sessions of the consultative conference. We know that 17 September signatories are the stakeholders” said President Deni.
Puntland President’s remarks clarify what many people viewed as delaying tactics due statements on the agendas of the conference as expressed by Puntland and Jubaland through tweets and press releases.
“We propose that members of the civil society be invited to the conference. There is trust deficit owing to wilful misrepresentation from the Federal Government of Somalia on previous summits” added President Deni.
President Deni lashed out at the claim that any role for International Community in the talks was tantamount to interference in Somalia’s internal affairs. “The Federal Government of Somalia is undermining the federal system” said President Deni.
Last month, the Puntland and Jubaland Presidents called on Somalia’s International Partners to play a guarantor’s role in the electoral talks. “We don’t think that talks had broken down. A deal on elections will be struck by stakeholders in the interest of our country” said President Deni.
This article first appeared in the © Puntland Post, 2021 and is republished with permission
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