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http://www.eritrea.co.uk/*
*AGE Deplores UNSC Resolution 2023*
Press Release – 14 December 2011
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Following an extraordinary meeting of its board members on 11 December
2011, the Action Group for Eritrea (AGE) has hereby resolved to issue this
press release in response to the United Nations Security Council Resolution
2023 of 5 December 2011 against the State of Eritrea.
*Aware* of the political pull and push factors within the Security
Council, including the economic and political motives of some members of
the Security Council;
*Convinced* that unfair and unjust sanctions will only make the volatile
regional situation worse and that those whose rights will be abused as a
result of the sanctions will rise to defend themselves as Eritrea’s history
of the last 60 years testifies;
*Bearing in mind* the repeated historic abuse that the people of Eritrea
have been subjected to in the hands of the United Nations Security Council;
*Cognizant* that the Somalia series of crises will not be solved by
alienating Eritrea;
*Reassured* that Eritrea is neither interested nor able to destabilise
Somalia, much less to the extent that it stands accused of, and *having
found* no credible evidence in the report of the Eritrea Somalia Monitoring
Group to suggest that Eritrea is responsible for any of the accusations
leveled;
*Establishing* that the allegations against Eritrea are baseless and
fabricated and *taking note* of:
a) the statement made by the Russian Ambassador that the Security Council
was not given sufficient proof of Eritrea’s alleged plot to attack the
African Union summit in Addis Ababa and that they were not impressed by the
content of the Monitoring Group....and to include such grave accusation
with no special information is not a “proper attitude”.
b) the statement of South African Ambassador to the UN that the Monitoring
Group report was inconclusive.
**
*Agreeing* with the hints given by the South African Ambassador to the UN
that the Monitoring Group did not execute its responsibilities and mandate
with “professionalism, impartiality and objectivity” and that the Group
could have been influenced by “political considerations outside their
mandate”;
**
*Taking *note of the statement made by the UN Ambassador to China with
respect to the rush to vote which led to the resolution failing “to reflect
major and legitimate concerns” and the immaturity and lack of diligent
adherence to legal process;
**
*Recalling* that the Monitoring Group made false allegations against
Eritrea in the past, including the accusation of Eritrea sending 2000 army
personnel to Somalia, which were later proved to be false and the fact that
the UN Sanctions Committee has identified Ethiopia and AMISON as the
sources of 80% of the weapons under the control of Somali insurgents;
**
*Thankful* to Wikileaks for revealing the statements made by American
diplomats and others which include:
a) the blatant hostility of the US government towards Eritrea
b) that the Eritrean involvement in Somalia was “insignificant” and “not
critically important”,
c) bombs that exploded in the Djibouti Railway Line and Addis Ababa could
be the work of the Ethiopian government,
d) confirmed the existence of the “long arm of Ethiopia” behind the
sanctions initiatives
e) Ethiopia’s encouragement of Djibouti to escalate the already resolved
border issue between Eritrea and Djibouti and the call by the French for
international community to defuse the situation and not agitate Djibouti
further;
**
*Knowing *full well that Ethiopia is the prime source of instability in the
whole region as attested by its invasion of Somalia and continued illegal
occupation of Eritrean territory and* recognising *that Ethiopia is the
main architect of the lies and misrepresentation made against Eritrea to
cover its crime;
**
*Noting* that Eritrea was denied its right guaranteed under the UN Charter
to be heard and to defend itself, and that the Eritrean President’s request
to speak in front of the Security Council was for all practical purposes
turned down;
**
*Convinced* that the sanctions were pushed with the sole intention of
weakening Eritrea militarily and crippling its economy to subject the
people of Eritrea to abject misery and poverty;
**
*Concerned* by UNSC’s failure to force Ethiopia to accept and implement the
final and binding verdict of the Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission;
**
*Troubled* also by UNSC’s neglect of its responsibility to pressure
Ethiopia to comply with UN Security Council resolutions expressly
forbidding military involvement of frontline or neighboring states in
Somalia;
**
*Shocked* by the drama surrounding the rush to punish Eritrea and the way
in which neighbouring countries were unashamedly paraded and made to gang
up against a small nation to present their cases in what can only be
described as a Kangaroo Court;
**
*Appalled* by the blatant abuse of power and the vengeful character
exhibited by the American Ambassador, Dr. Susan Rice, to victimise the
people of Eritrea;
We hereby,
**
*Reject* the sanctions in its entirety as lacking due process, as being
based on unsubstantiated allegations and devoid of any sense of justice or
fairness;
**
*Condemn* the UNSC for allowing itself to be used as an instrument for
individual envoys and their countries to settle old scores or promote
selfish political agenda and for failing in its duty to protect a small
nation against unjustified hostility in direct contradiction of its Charter;
**
*Condemn* the Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group for producing an
unprofessional report that lacks credible evidence and objectivity, and *
calls* on the Security Council to appoint new independent group of experts
with credibility and integrity;
**
*Deplore* the reckless and irresponsible action of the US Ambassador, Dr.
Susan Rice, in bringing the UNSC into disrepute for no other reason but to
avenge a personal grudge against the President of Eritrea;
**
*Call *on members of the Security Council to uphold the very principles
that the United Nations was created for;
**
*Call *on members of the Security Council to compel Ethiopia to accept and
implement the verdict of the Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission and
withdraw its forces from sovereign Eritrean territory;
**
*Call* on the government of Eritrea to take appropriate measures to further
strengthen the unity of the Eritrean people to challenge such blatant
miscarriage of justice;
**
*Express* our readiness to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people and
government of Eritrea to defend the territorial integrity and sovereignty
of Eritrea that is rooted in our heavy sacrifices;
Age_at_eritrea.co.uk
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Received on Wed Dec 14 2011 - 19:08:13 EST