Asmara — In the waning days of the Bush Administration, and as the world awaits a breath of fresh air in US global engagement, some State Department officials are making a last-ditch attempt to tie the hands of the incoming administration in the strategic Horn of Africa region. These officials are once again seeking to have the United States declare Eritrea a "state sponsor of terrorism," an objective they failed to achieve only a few months earlier, when many in and outside the administration were unconvinced by the accusations and thought the whole idea counter-productive and detrimental to the cause of peace and stability in the Horn of Africa as well as US interests.
The allegations against Eritrea, which has a solid track record of fighting terrorism, of which it has been a victim, are preposterous in the extreme.
Eritrea's position on Somalia has been clear from the outset: i) end foreign intervention as it will only aggravate the situation; and, ii) allow Somalis to find homegrown solutions to their problem. We opposed the US-Ethiopian military adventure in December 2006, stating that Somalia will be a "quagmire" for the occupation force. We consistently called for constructive engagement with all relevant Somali actors. While others tried to divide them, branding some "moderates" and others "extremists", we questioned the wisdom of such an approach and encouraged Somalis to establish an inclusive and broad alliance to reconstitute their country. Our perspective has been proven right on all accounts.
In light of these facts, it is clear that the motives of the US officials who are, at this late hour, trying to slap the terrorism label and impose sanctions on Eritrea, go beyond the blame game. They intend to obstruct any move to bring US-Eritrea relations back on track.
In his congratulatory message to President-Elect Barack Obama, President Isaias Afwerki had stated: "Let me further avail of this historic occasion to express my ardent hope that US policy in our region will indeed change under Your Excellency's Presidency to pursue a constructive path to advance the cause of regional peace, justice and legality".
This hope of mutually constructive engagement and cooperation, which indeed is the hope not only of Eritrea, but also of the people of the entire region, should not be allowed to be dashed by last minute decisions.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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Although the American target is the Eritrean dictatorial regime, the move is also bad for the oppressed, voiceless, poverty stricken Eritran people. It will aggrevate the food crisis in the country caused by drought and risig prices and poor domestic policies. The US believes the Eritrean government is standing on the way of its plans for peace and stability in the Horn of africa by supporting violent non-governmental forces in the region. The Eritrean government should mind its own business and stop meddling in US foreign policy affairs and concentrate instead on rebuilding the country already devasted by decades of bloody wars.
Eritrea is located too close to the game to just sit and do nothing. I believe it is the African that should bring a solution not the USA. USA has a proven policy of use and throw and we can't allow our region to be a playing field of country such as USA.
Why is ok for the US to interven in African affair but not ok for an African country to help their brothers. I think Africa has more right than any other outside country to help their brothers.
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