Story Filed: Thursday, March 01, 2001 8:41 AM EST
MOGADISHU, Mar 1, 2001 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- There is now some
light for the restart of exporting Somalia's livestock to the Gulf
countries after a serious economic setback, following the ban on
Somalia's meat from the Arabian countries for an alleged outbreak of
the rift valley disease in east Africa three years ago.
According to local media, a fact-finding mission consisting of
officials from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
and the United Arab Emirates is conducting a verification tour in
Somalia.
The six-member delegation has visited Somalia's semi-autonomous
regions of Somaliland and Puntland in the past two days and closely
examined the facility, the meat and the overall condition of the area.
Although sources close to the delegation have said that the
officials are satisfied with what they have seen, the final results of
the visit will be announced later.
Somalia's economy depends mainly on the export of its livestock to
the Arabian countries.
The country's meat was banned in 1998 after the World Health
Organization announced that the rift valley disease is existing in
neighboring Kenya, therefore leading to the Arabian countries to
impose the meat import restriction from some east African countries,
also including Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Sudan.
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