Somalia's self-governing state of Puntland government has welcomed the United States "significant policy shift" towards Somalia, aimed at building new relations with the stable parts of the Horn of Africa country, Radio Garowe reports.
Flag of Puntland
"The new U.S. aggressive engagement with functioning and stable administrations will encourage the establishment of other regional administrations, which is in line with the long-advocated Puntland policy of bottom-up approach of administration building," said a statement from the office of the President's Chief Cabinet, Mr. Ali Barre Jama Gibin, signed in Garowe, Puntland's capital.
The U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Johnnie Carson, announced on Friday that the U.S. plans to strengthen ties with two stable regions in northern Somalia to try to undercut a growing threat from insurgents in southern regions.
Carson said the US would send more aid workers and diplomats to Puntland and Somaliland and help the governments of both regions with security and development projects.
"The new U.S. stated area of engagement, such as water, agriculture, health, eduction and other development initiatives and activities are very encouraging and highly appreciated," said a statement from the office of the President's Chief Cabinet, Mr. Ali Barre Jama Gibin in Garowe, Puntland's capital.
Since early 2009, the U.S. government has actively aided the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in a single-track approach aimed that preventing an overthrow of the TFG and subsequent fall of Mogadishu into the hands of Al Shabaab insurgents.
Mr. Carson's statement is a declaration of a new U.S. policy for Somalia, which will deal with a "national" government while aiding and encouraging the establishment of regional authorites that can bolser that national government.
Puntland offers 'operational space'
A second press release from Puntland's Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation also welcomed the U.S. policy shift.
Signed by Puntland State Minister for International Cooperation, Dr. Abdulkadir Abdi Hashi, the press statement welcomed the U.S. government's new "pragmatic approach" which Puntland believes "better reflects the current political reality" in Somalia.
"The government of Puntland welcomes and deeply appreciates Ambassador Carson's strong and unambiguous support for Somali unity, national sovereignty and territorial integrity," read the press statement from Puntland's Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation.
The statement criticized the TFG saying that its "glaring lack of capacity...can no longer be ignored," while saying the U.S. policy shift on Somalia is a "strategic reward of the commitment to peace and institutional governance."
Puntland's government said its "ready to, if necessary, provide to both the most essential international agencies and key transitional federal institutions with safe and operational office space inside Puntland for as long as needed."
TFG offices in Mogadishu remain under the constant threat of insurgent attacks, while international agencies have pulled their staff out of offices in southern and central regions of Somalia, including Mogadishu.
Puntland has remained peaceful and stable over the past 20 years of war and political unrest in Somalia. Puntland, which has its own elected government with security forces and controls all regions in northeast Somalia, has consistently maintained that its vision is to remain part of a federal Somalia.
