Shabait.com (Asmara)
20 August 2008
editorial
Asmara — The EPLF which had led the Eritrean people's struggle for independence to a victorious culmination understood from the beginning that peace and stability as well as economic and cultural development cannot be bound to the borders of one country and has since been making whatever contribution it can to regional peace and stability.
As it is a determinant precondition for speedy and sustainable development as well as for regional developmental cooperation, the EPLF had always believed in the importance of regional peace and stability.
The Front had long been aware that the misguided imperialist and expansionist ambition of successive Ethiopian leaders was the major threat and impediment to the region's peace and stability. To correct and alter such a mentality, the EPLF established relations of cooperation with the various Ethiopian organizations struggling against the dictatorial and imperialist regimes and had made significant contributions towards promoting a participatory political system in Ethiopia. Moreover, the EPLF had exerted efforts to establish diplomatic grounds for developing cooperative relationships with different political forces in the region.
Pursuing a policy of peace and neutralism based on own national interests and sovereignty, the Government of Eritrea after independence not only strived to strengthen the relations fostered during the years of the independence struggle but also worked hard to create grounds for cooperative development endeavors and made significant contribution in resolving conflicts that threaten regional development. The Eritrean government has played and is still playing constructive role in the process of finding a comprehensive peaceful solution to the problems in Southern, Eastern and Western Sudan. It provided assistance in resolving Djibouti's long standing internal conflict. When civil war broke out in Yemen, the Eritrean government stood by Yemeni unity and extended the necessary assistance. Moreover, having always made continuous contribution towards bringing about peace and reconciliation in Somalia, in the past two years the Eritrean government demonstrated moral and political support to the Somali people's own initiative to achieve reconstitution and reconciliation. Furthermore, the Government of Eritrea condemned the external interference that is complicating the Somali problem and has continuously been calling on the international community to give the Somali people the chance to resolve their problems on their own.
Believing that regional organizations can play crucial role in securing harmony and developmental cooperation, the Eritrean government had been pushing for smaller and more effective organizations as an alternative to big international organizations. Based on this outlook, Eritrea under the leadership of President Isaias Afwerki has been striving for the reorganization and restructuring of IGAD, which had been limited to only addressing drought problems in the Horn region, with a much broader political and economic scope.
The Eritrean people and government's earnest efforts to promote peace and stability in the region and foster regional harmony and cooperation can be attested to by all peace-loving quarters. Unfortunately due to the continuous plots to reduce regional and international organizations to mere tools at the hands of super powers and the deep-rooted slave mentality and worship of foreign powers among many Africans, the afore-mentioned objectives have made no progress. The regional organization of IGAD had for instance abandoned its founding objectives and finally became a tool at the disposal of foreign powers. The fact that the organization gave its blessing to the illegal invasion of one of its member states, namely the sovereign nation of Somalia is one of the most shameful chapters of the history of IGAD.
However, regardless of the reality on the ground, the Eritrean people and government's commitment to securing regional peace, harmony and cooperation will remain. Hence, if IGAD is to effectively realize its founding objectives as per the wishes and desires of the people and Government of Eritrea and that of the people of the Horn region as a whole, it will have to reorganize and restructure its programs and priorities according to the present needs of the region. And developing a sense of self-worth and discarding the existing slave mentality and worship of external powers are the first steps to this end; for self-confidence is the sole key to achieving peace and development.
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