From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Wed Feb 17 2010 - 21:57:25 EST
http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/politics/Eritrea-Official-Denies-Asmaras-Involvement-In-Organizing-Protest-Against-UN--Sanctions--84648077.html
Eritrea
Official Denies Asmara’s Involvement In Organizing Protest Against UN-
Sanctions
Eritrea’s information minister is denying Asmara’s involvement in a planned
protest march next week at the White House against the recent United
Nations-imposed sanctions.
Peter Clottey | Washington, DC 17 February 2010
Eritrea’s information minister is denying Asmara’s involvement in a planned
protest march next week at the White House against the recent United
Nations-imposed sanctions.
Ali Abdu said the organizers of the planned demonstration are ordinary
Eritreans living in the United States who he said see the UN targeted
sanctions as unfair and unjust.
“To the contrary, it is the people who arose spontaneously when they heard
about this unjust sanction. Actually, young women, men, elders (and) even
children were very angry because they’ve been victimized for the second
time. So, it was absolutely popular appraisal against the unjust
resolution&hellipThis resolution is not only targeting Eritreans, it’s
targeting the Horn of Africa entirely,” he said.
Eritrea’s state-owned media recently accused Washington of being behind the
United Nations sanctions, saying the United States wants to control the
entire Horn of Africa region.
The United Nations Security Council recently imposed sanctions on Eritrea
for supporting hard line Somali Islamic insurgents who have vowed to
overthrow the government -- a charge Asmara denies.
Asmara said in a statement that although the UN sanctions are not affecting
Eritrea directly, they risk “engulfing the region into another cycle of
conflict as it may encourage Ethiopia to contemplate reckless military
adventures". Ethiopia has denied Eritrea’s accusation.
Political observers say there is need for Asmara to “honestly” engage the
United Nations and stop supporting Somali insurgents, including al-Shabab.
But information minister Abdu said the United Nations failed to prove
Eritrea’s complicity in the ongoing security instability in Somalia.
“United Nations had nothing to do when member states were asking about the
evidence. Some of them were blackmailed (and) some of them were silenced.
Until today, (there has been) no proof that has come out from United Nations
and people are asking where is the proof? Where is the beef? Because no
proof was submitted against Eritrea,” Abdu asked.
Prior to the sanctions, the African Union and the Intergovernmental
Authority on Development in East Africa (IGAD) had urged the United Nations
to impose sanctions on Eritrea after accusing Asmara of providing funds and
logistical support for Somali insurgents.
----[This List to be used for Eritrea Related News Only]----