The Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League, Hossam Zaki, announced that the Arab foreign ministers will hold an emergency meeting next Wednesday to discuss the memorandum of understanding signed by Ethiopia with "Somaliland." Zaki stated in press remarks that the meeting, which will be held at Somalia's request, will yield the necessary support for Mogadishu on this issue. He explained that there were serious attempts to hold the meeting in the past few days, but scheduling difficulties arose, leading to an agreement to conduct it via video conference.
He noted that Somalia has submitted a clarifying memorandum, which has been distributed to member states, confirming that more than 12 countries support holding the session. Zaki added that there seems to be near-unanimous consensus regarding Somalia's position and its support.
Regarding the possibility of a meeting between the Arab League Secretary-General, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud during his upcoming visit to Egypt, Zaki affirmed that if the Secretary-General is in Cairo during the visit, the meeting will certainly take place.
Last week, the Somali News Agency "SONNA" reported that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud will visit Cairo in the coming days after receiving an official invitation from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during a meeting in Mogadishu with a high-level Egyptian delegation last Monday.
Somalia is working to rally support for its stance against the agreement signed earlier this month between Ethiopia and the secessionist Somaliland, which grants Addis Ababa the right to use the port of Berbera overlooking the Gulf of Aden at the entrance to the Red Sea and to establish a military base there, in exchange for recognizing "Somaliland" as an independent state. Mogadishu has submitted requests to the United Nations Security Council, the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) for an emergency meeting regarding this agreement.
