By: M.A. Egge

Perhaps Somalilanders have not yet get to grips two most important aspects to come out of the Lancaster House Conference on Somalia (and on the sidelines) out of the three main ones that directly affect us.

For one, the future talk between here and the southerners is ofcourse not a short term one despite its pertinence. When its time comes it will be an issue of two separate countries discussing their break-up and future relations.

In our focus today however are the two issues that we feel may have not been understand well within the country.

The Somaliland Development Trust Fund established in the UK that would operate as Somaliland Development Corporation.

This trust cum company is one that will have to shape the future of this land as far as foreign investments and gross national development is concerned.

Following a 1991 constitutional Act, the British formulated and enacted a legal regulation whose law bound commercial agreement made between multinational corporations and "any" un-recognized state to be operable under the English law: - thus litigations would be under British legal systems.

Despite the fact that SDC proponents argue that the law was tailored to cater for countries like Taiwan, given the Chinese islands impeccable development record and history, the date tells a different story.

We are not to discuss in this column the coincidence of the law vis-à-vis SL re-declaration of independence or Bosnia's secession for that matter but rather the SDC role in the region.

With the entrance of the SDCT, in the exit goes all the bottlenecks, hurdles, impediments, constraints and for that matter, the legal blockades for SL to enter contracts, bilateral and tangible agreements with foreign commercial giants and governments, whenever and wherever they are.

In other words the trust has made us to be able to circumvent all the bottlenecks, hence thanks to UK, be able to make legal contracts anywhere and anytime for prospective and real investments to be done.

This is ofcourse without fear of banking institutional or insurance guarantees that we now suffer from.

Secondly, the pledge by Hague that the UK (thanks to the British again) would help us (as a front) in lobbying for such contracts is a political milestone achievements that is ought to be understood.

In other words, through their high commissions a door (or desk) concerning us would be their (availed) anywhere on earth.

However, for all the above to reap fruits, it needs no reminder that an air of permanent peaceful stability whose aura exude harmony and solid unity is a prerequisite that is a MUST.

Simply, our future largely depends on the maintaining, preserving and nurturing peace and stability.

Somalilanders ought to know better.