Hargeisa — Political leaders in Somalia's separatist republic of Somaliland have met for the first time since last week's election deal, Radio Garowe reports.

Somaliland President Dahir Riyale met privately with the leaders of opposition parties Kulmiye and UCID, Mr. Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo and Mr. Faisal Ali Warabe, respectively.

The meeting took place Sunday evening at the State House in Hargeisa, Somaliland's capital city.

The Somaliland president's spokesman, Mr. Said Adani, told reporters that the meeting's discussions included "implementation of the six-point agreement the three political parties recently signed, which is intended to end the political dispute" in Somaliland.

It was the first time Somaliland's political rivals met face-to-face since the election crisis deepened earlier this year. On Sep. 30, Somaliland's political leaders signed an election deal ending the political crisis that arose from delayed presidential elections and a dispute over the voter-registration process.

Somaliland, located in northwest Somalia, unilaterally declared independence from the rest of the Horn of Africa country in 1991 but has not been recognized internationally.