Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2011 23:37:37 +0200
Eritrea Not a Pariah State, Says Isaias Afewerki
Peter Clottey
September 26, 2011
Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki has rejected claims that his country is a pariah state. He said many people view his country through a "wrong prism," which he said often emanates from preconceived ideas about Asmara.
"It's an image in the minds of those who say it," said Afewerki. "So you
have to go and ask them whether this image is correct or not. Where they got
this image from and why they got this image."
Internal affairs
When asked about term limits, the Eritrean leader responded, "It depends on the service you provide. If you steal money from the people, if you abuse your authority, if you are a thug, then you need to go."
Afewerki said Eritreans enjoy press freedom and that they have full access to information -- despite reports to the contrary.
In an exclusive interview with VOA, President Afewerki said there is need
for members of the East African Community (EAC) to come up with ideas to
"collectively mobilize resources to resolve problems," which he said
includes the region's security and recurrent droughts.
Drought
International relief agencies say East Africa is experiencing the worst drought in decades. The crisis has forced hundreds of thousands of people to become either refugees or be internally displaced. Some analysts say the drought has also affected the availability of food in Eritrea.
But, the Eritrean leader denied any food shortages in his country, adding his country does not need any relief assistance. Afewerki said he is willing to provide "modest amount of food" to help feed Somalis who have been affected by the drought and famine.
Sub-regional security
The UN has placed sanctions on Asmara for supporting Somalia's hard-line insurgent group Al-Shabab. Afewerki denied any role by his country in destabilizing Somalia.
"We wish that those who are fragmenting Somalia and creating havoc will
stop. People are saying enough is enough. Somalis can help themselves if all
those spoilers, who are making life so difficult for Somalis pull their
hands out," he said.
The Eritrean leader said Ethiopia's invasion of Somalia in 2006 prompted Asmara to suspend its membership of the sub-regional group, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD.)
"An unwarranted invasion of Mogadishu by the government in Addis Ababa was
the cause of all these problems in spite of the sub-regional arrangement and
the respect of the rule of law [that] no one country has a license to go and
invade another country," he said.
Afewerki said his administration decided to renew its IGAD membership following "the dramatic situational change" in the region.
He said only a concerted effort could help stabilize the situation in Somalia.
"No one country can claim and no one leader can claim that they can play
this role or that role. It's only pretension. It's a collective endeavor. We
have a collective destiny, interest, collective values [and] we need to work
together," said Afewerki.
During their rebel days, the leaders of Eritrea and Ethiopia were strong allies and comrade-in-arms. Today, there's much hostility among the two countries.
International relations
Some analysts describe Eritrea's foreign policy as combative and isolationist. Not so, says Afewerki.
"You don't get confrontational or combative. You don't have any reason to do
that unless circumstances impose upon you certain things that you cannot
accept and humanity cannot accept," said the Eritrean President.
.
Afewerki urged more cooperation among African Union members "in bringing about results of the dreams of the founding fathers of this continent."
Eritrea President Isaias Afewerki (r) being Interviewed by VOA`s Peter Clottey (r) in New York.
Photo: VOA
Eritrea President Isaias Afewerki (r) being Interviewed by VOA`s Peter
Clottey (r) in New York.
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