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From: Zeyhilel@aol.com
Date: Sat May 01 2010 - 09:35:34 EDT
Selam Dehaiers,
While it is at it with the Dawit Isaak case, if true, I hope the Government
of Eritrea
completely gets out of the business of jailing people without charging
them. I have
written on this matter on a number occasions here in Dehai, as have many
others,
that it is simply indefensible and, quite bluntly. barbaric for the
Government of Eritrea
to keep fellow Eritreans behind bars without charging them and without
giving them
the opportunity of defending themselves in court. To stress my point, I
remember
citing here in Dehai the case of Tigrean King Yohannes giving his nemesis
[Eritrean]
Ras Woldemichael a day in court, some 130 years ago. Although, surely, the
court proceedings were biased and staged, but at least history reports
that Woldemicahael
pleaded his case in court before being banished to his confinement. Now,
Yohannes
and Woldemichael were sworn enemies that fought against each other for
years.
It is true that the Government of Eritrea is surrounded by enemies, big
and small, and
that some sensitive cases ought to be handled with utmost care. Yet, when
all is said
and done, there should be nothing more sacred that would honor the many
Eritrean
heroes that paid their lives for Eritrea's freedom, than those governing
the nation of
Eritrea upholding the sanctity of the basic human rights of every Eritrean
citizen.
Zeyhilel
-- Chance favors the prepared mind --[Louis Pateur]
K'bur Haile Abraham:
Nice to hear from you too. I am doing alright..... old, retired,
slow, but, all things
considered I can say I am doing fine. Thank you for asking though.
Haile, you said the article didn't sound interesting to you or
something like that.
Yes, I can agree with you that the writer seems to have a demeaning
demeanor in
his writing, which is now getting common in a number of African & some West
ern
reporters when it comes to Eritrea.
I may be wrong, but, if you go beyond the belittling and demeaning
insinuations
that you said make the article not as interesting as we would have liked
it to be, and
add all the plusses and minuses said about Eitrea, I think the positives
are more.
As you know me very well, I have always been a hard core Isayasist
and I still am.
But, I have never failed to air my feelings on the shortcoming we have
when it comes
to the refined skill of diplomacy and public relations. With love and
respect , I have
said it here in Dehai more than one time. But now, for the first time in
our political
history after independence, to read that Eritrea is running 'diplomatic
offense' in order
to have the UN sanctions lifted, was a big news to me and that made me
happy. Another diplomatic effort in consideration, according to the article
we are talking about is that Dawit Isaak, the Eritrean-Swedish journalist is
likely to be brought to court and this may likely help
improve the relationship of Eritrea with Sweden and the European union.
These and a
couple of statements such as the fact that the supply of arms from Eritrea
to the Al Shabab,
which I believe was not true but was reported as true anyway, is now said
as 'not happening'
any more..... etc....etc..
Not in this article, but in a different paper, I can't exactly
remember where, it was
said that the Qatari government has asked Hillary Clinton to go easy on
Eritrea.....
a lot of diplomacy is going on... I am sure it will work out.... let's
keep our fingers crossed!!!
Tesfai Kflu
____________________________________
From: owner-dehai@dehai.org on behalf of Haile Abraham
Sent: Fri 4/30/2010 10:17 AM
To: DEHAI DEHAIouple of other
Subject: RE:[DEHAI] 'Eritrea desperate to undo UN sanctions..'
Aya Kiflu,
Nice to hear from you and I hope you are doing very well. I read the
article on AFROL titled "Eritrea desperate to undo UN sanction." And to tell
you the truth, there is nothing interesting about the way the "Staff Writer"
put that article together. IMO, and I don't know what their motive was,
the AFROL staff writer appears to belittle and accuse Eritrea for making its
military installation as a "national secret" and its land as a "closed
country." Furthermore, the AFROL staff appears to be very much surprised
that PIA invited foreign journalist to Eritrea, and even more surprised that
the GULF News served the TRUTH!!!
If AFROL was a true and genuine news outlet, its stuff could also have
been served the same TRUTH that it is being served to many foreign
journalists. Instead it chose to make a mockery of the TRUTH by quotiong a Djiboutian
Foreign Minister and ASSumed that Eritrea is doing this out of desperation
to "undo" the sanction... What a joke!!!
Shame on AFROL...
Haile A.
================================ // ======================
Dehaiers:
An interesting article with pieces of information that
I believe most of us would like to hear is out.... the website
for the source is 'www.afrol.com'. I wish Dehai gets it posted.
Tesfai Kflu.
================================ // =======================
Eritrea desperate to undo UN sanctions
Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki during a recent visit in Iran
© Iran presidency/afrol News_afrol News_ (http://www.afrol.com/) , 23
April - Eritrea President Isaias Afewerki is on a diplomatic offensive to make
the UN lift sanctions against the country last year for training and
supplying Somali and Yemenite rebels. Holy cows are being slaughtered in Asmara.
In a surprise move, President Afewerki invited foreign journalists to the
country, letting them inspect and photograph military installations so far
kept a national secret. Even a Swedish journalist jailed in Eritrea for
eight years may finally get his trial.
Dubai-based 'Gulf News' - not noted for its criticism of governments, but
at least widely available in English language - landed a minor unexpected
scoop when being invited to Eritrea by President Afewerki. During the last
week, 'Gulf News' have toured the otherwise closed country, even meeting the
President himself, and have reported in the expected positive way from
Eritrea.
The greatest surprise was the admittance of 'Gulf News' journalists and
photographers into Eritrean military posts. The Dubai media could report that
it had not observed any foreigners at the camps, which corresponded to
sites described in a UN report alleging Somali Islamists were being trained
there.
The journalists were even brought to the remote camp at the Djibouti
border, allowed to take pictures in certain angles. Earlier, Eritrean
authorities had denied UN inspectors access to the same military camp. "No
foreigners," 'Gulf News' reporters again could confirm.
As the guided tour went on, journalists were given a chance to interview
President Afewerki in the port town of Massawa. While downplaying the UN
sanctions as a result of "American anger" against Eritrea, Mr Afewerki made
sure to tell journalists reports about deepening Iran-Eritrea ties were
untrue. Iran was not to build an oil refinery in Eritrea, he emphasised.
Another sign that Eritrea is eager to improve its international reputation
is the surprise announcement that Swedish-Eritrean journalist Dawit Isaak
soon is to have a trial after having been detained for over eight years.
Girma Asmerom Tesfay, Eritrea's ambassador in Belgium, made this promise to a
Swedish MP.
The case of Mr Isaak has soured relations between Sweden and the European
Union on one side and Eritrea on the other side for years. A solution in
the case could provide the Afewerki regime much goodwill in Europe, needed
for a possible lifting of the UN sanctions.
Also neighbouring countries are noting that Eritrea is changing its
attitude towards the UN sanctions. Djibouti's Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali
Youssouf at a press conference in Nairobi said he was seeing signs that Eritrea
was starting to abide by UN demands to stop its interference in Somalia.
Eritrea's foreign policies were bound to be altered, Mr Youssouf said.
Somalia's transitional government, an ally of Eritrea arch-rival Ethiopia,
is noting that Eritrean support for the al-Shabaab Islamists is declining.
The latest UN report on Somalia supports this observation, concluding that
Eritrean weapons deliveries to al-Shabaab had declined but that the
Islamists still received financial support from the Afewerki regime.
The UN imposed arms and travel sanctions on Eritrea in December last year
for supporting the Islamist insurgent's attempt to topple the transitional
government of Somalia. A UN report had found Eritrea was training
al-Shabaab insurgents and providing them with arms.
The UN sanctions include travel bans and the freezing of assets of
Eritrea's main political and military leaders.
According to the Djiboutian Foreign Minister, Eritrea was now aiming at
getting these sanctions lifted as soon as possible. But Eritrea under
President Afewerki would not change its foreign policies enough to stop being the
region's pariah nation, Minister Youssouf forecasted.
By staff writer
© afrol News
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