Mogadishu, May 21 (Prensa Latina) The Somali government insisted today that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) should solve the controversy with Kenya over a border territory of 100.000 square kilometers that is estimated to be rich in oil and gas.
The debate on the issue lacks ongoing bilateral negotiations, so we will keep the case in the hands of that court, added the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Isse Awad about the dispute over the triangular section where are calculated to be large deposits of fuel.
There are also no formal contacts between the two governments, stated the head of Somalia’s diplomacy in statements that contradict those made a few days ago by his Kenyan counterpart, Monica Juma, in an interview with New Africa Magazine.
The Kenyan minister then said that her country was exploring all avenues and referred to ‘an ongoing conversation’ about alleged direct negotiations with Somalia on the matter.
According to Awad’s allegations, ‘it is better to resolve any dispute between us, without involving a third party’, in reference to regional mechanisms to resolve disputes such as the Intergovernmental Authority on East African Development, but the local foreign minister maintained the official criterion on the intervention of The Hague.