By Allan Kisia

Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has commended President Uhuru Kenyatta’s handling of the country’s maritime boundary dispute with Somalia.

Kalonzo, who is also a Special Envoy to monitor peace South Sudan, said the President has displayed statesmanship and not weakness with the manner he is dealing with the situation.

“Kenyans must also be strong and stand with the President. What he is doing is encouraging,” he said.

The Head of State, in his address to the 74th United Nations General Assembly in New York last week, challenged Somalia to consider dialogue and negotiation as an option to resolving the dispute.

Uhuru said that Kenya is committed to its pursuit of peace and stability in the region, but noted that the UN Charter privileges the use of negotiation as the most preferred mechanism for settlement of disputes.

Somalia President Mohamed Farmaajo, who spoke afterwards in the same forum, rejected Kenya’s call for dialogue.

Farmaajo said the matter was with the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which should be the ultimate arbiter because talks between the two countries had collapsed.

He said when negotiations failed, Somalia instituted proceedings before the ICJ, the highest legal authority of the United Nations. The two countries are fighting over the maritime boundary in the Indian Ocean.

Kalonzo said Farmaajo’s remarks at the UN were discouraging for the region and advised that animosity should not be created between the two nations.

“As a country, we have invested so much in building peace in our neighbouring country. Kenya has been Somalia’s window to the outside world,” he said.

Kalonzo said Uhuru humbled himself by insisting that dialogue was the best way out.

“Some of us want to talk to Somali leaders ourselves to see how the matter can be addressed. There is no need for a hardened attitude,” he said at Wiper offices in Nairobi.

Even with the hard stance, Farmaajo insisted that Kenya and Somalia will continue to enjoy cordial relations.

The Hague-based ICJ is set to hear the case between November 4 and 8.

Kenya wants the maritime border to run along parallel latitude southeast of Kiunga, while Somalia wants a diagonal line down the Kenyan Coast.

Source: The Star