Mogadishu-KNN-United States ambassador to Nairobi Kyle McCarter said that US has been working to convince Somalia to accept negation of settling maritime border dispute with Kenya.
In an interview conducted by Kenyan News Paper, Daily Nation, the Ambassador was asked “On the marine border row between Kenya and Somalia, what position has the US taken and what diplomatic manoeuvres have been undertaken to help resolve the matter?”
According to the News Paper the US diplomat answered “This has to be addressed quickly. We have been working to get President [Mohamed Abdullahi)] Farmajo and President Kenyatta to come to the discussion table.”
I’ve been to Mogadishu to speak to the Somalia president. I told him to pull off the court case.
I’ve told them [Farmajo and Kenyatta] that the biggest hurdle is defeating al-Shabaab and that is the only way we can tap the gains on the blue economy.
President Kenyatta is doing all he can and we shall continue with our efforts to resolve the matter,” Kyle McCarter said in the interview.
Somalia, previously many times rejected to negotiate with Kenyan government about the maritime border dispute. President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo insisted that ICJ jurisdiction is the only manner to solve the dispute.
After Kenyan government requested to postpone the case, the court decided the first week of June 2020 to be the hearing date in which Somali government accepted to be the final postponement.
