From: Biniam Haile \(SWE\) (eritrea.lave@comhem.se)
Date: Sat Aug 16 2008 - 00:23:01 EDT
Eritrean president turns down calls to return to IGAD
Saturday 16 August 2008 01:09.
August 15, 2008 (ASMARA) - The Eritrean president turned down calls to
rejoin the east African organisation of IGAD asking to reorganise it
first in order to enable it to achieve its goals.
Isaias Afwerki held talks on Friday with the Sudanese foreign minister
Deng Alor and the Kenyan counterpart Moses Wetang'ula who arrived to
Asmara in abide to convince him to return to the Inter-Governmental
Authority on Development (IGAD), as it was decided in a summit of the
head of states last June in Addis Ababa.
Disillusioned with the eastern African body, Eritrea suspended its IGAD
membership in April 2007 in protest to member states refusal to condemn
and take actions against Ethiopia for sending troops to Somalia.
Speaking to the delegation, Afwerki criticised the weakness regional boy
saying "it has been complicating matters". He underlined that Eritrea
suspended its membership as result of its support to "Ethiopia's
invasion of Somalia," which is member state of the organisation. He
added that "instead of trying to resolve some issues, IGAD has been
complicating matters."
Afwerki suggested the need to reorganise and redefine of the regional
body, saying that peace and security should be prioritised among the
objectives of the IGAD instead of common market and regional
integration.
He also stressed the need for IGAD not only to get restructured but also
to adopt a new mechanism.
The states member of the Intergovernmental Authority on Drought and
Development (IGADD) agreed in Addis Ababa, on 18 April 1995, to
transform their east African organization and redefine its objectives by
expanding its areas of regional co-operation.
This would create the IGAD, a fully-fledged regional political,
economic, development, trade and security entity similar to the South
African Development Community (SADC) and Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS).
Eritrea was one of seven member countries of IGAD. The Member countries
of the Djibouti-based organisation include: Kenya; Ethiopia; Djibouti;
Uganda; Sudan; and Somalia.
(ST)
----[This List to be used for Eritrea Related News Only]----