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STATEMENT DELIVERED BY AMBASSADOR GIRMA ASMEROM PERMANENT
REPRESENTATIVE OF ERITREA TO THE UNITED NATIONS
Wednesday, 14 October 2015 01:33 | Written by shabait Administrator |
STATEMENT DELIVERED
BY
AMBASSADOR GIRMA ASMEROM
PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF ERITREA TO THE UNITED NATIONS DURING
THE INFORMAL INTERACTIVE DIALOGUE WITH SECURITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE
ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO UN SECURITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTIONS 751 (1992) AND 1907 (2009)
NEW YORK
09 OCTOBER 2015
Mr. Chairman,
Distinguished Delegates,
Eritrea deeply values this informal interaction with the Sanction
Committee. In this regard, I would like to thank Ambassador Rafael
DaríoRamírezCarreño, Chairman of the Sanctions Committee, for giving
my delegation the opportunity to address the Sanctions Committee and
for facilitating constructive interaction and dialogue between my
Government and the Somalia Eritrea Monitoring Group. I also appreciate
the role of the United Nations Secretariat. Let me now proceed to
present, very briefly, Eritrea’s views on the SEMG report.
Eritrea was provided with conditional access to the SEMG’s current
report. This happened by allowing its delegation to visit the UN
Secretariat to read the document and take notes on the spot. As we
had emphasized in previous occasions, Eritrea finds this procedure
awkward and inappropriate by all standards. Eritrea is a concerned –
indeed the accused - party in this whole undertaking. As such, it
needs and deserves unfettered access to full SEMG reports in real
time. This repeated and cumbersome pattern of limiting or denying
access to Eritrea to the SEMG reports is incompatible with the legal
principle of ‘equality of arms’. It also violates the principle of
transparency.
Mr. Chairman,
Distinguished Delegates,
The main reasons for imposing unjust sanctions against Eritrea were
its alleged “support to al-Shabaab in Somalia” and “the border dispute
between Eritrea and Djibouti” in the context of their implication to
regional and international peace and security. Nothing less, nothing
more!
These issues have long been proven as untenable and non-existent. The
SEMG, both in its previous report as well as in the current one, has
concluded, clearly and unequivocally, that it “did not find any
evidence of Eritrea’s support to al-Shabaab” in Somalia.
Eritrea-Djibouti border dispute
The Djibouti Eritrea issue does not constitute a threat to regional
and international peace and security; both in terms of the magnitude
of the problem and also because the UN Security Council has endorsed
the ongoing mediation process by the Emir of Qatar. The Qatari
mediation process was agreed and signed by the Presidents of Eritrea
and Djibouti. Eritrea is engaged in good faith, and remains fully
committed to, the Qatari mediation process. It must be underlined that
more than 200 Qatari troops are deployed at the Eritrea Djibouti
common border.
In view of the fact that the two reasons for the imposition of
sanctions against Eritrea have no validity whatsoever, the
continuation of the sanctions is unjustifiable and unwarranted.
Eritrea appeals to the members of the UN Security Council to
immediately and unconditionally lift the unjust sanctionsand terminate
the mandate of the SEMG in relation to Eritrea.
Mr. Chairman,
Distinguished Delegates,
UN Security Council Working Group decisions require expert panels to
rely on verified information and documents. They must ensure that
“their assertions are corroborated by solid information and that their
findings are substantiated by credible sources". Has this been the
case with the SEMG reports on Eritrea?
Any objective reader would agree that the SEMG routinely dwells on
issues beyond its mandate. This predilection requires urgent redress.
Furthermore, the methods used to gather information violate the
basic principles of the UNSC working methods spelled out above. The
SEMG itself admits that in compiling the report it has relied on
“defectors”, “unnamed diplomats”, and “authorities in East African
country”, and, “confidential notes submitted by regional authorities”.
Who are these nameless and faceless individuals?
The SEMG has, rather imprudently, included in its report forged and
fabricated information that it has received from countries such as
Ethiopia and Djibouti. What would one expect from these countries that
openly pursue sinister agendas against Eritrea? This approach does not
only violate the principles of reporting concrete and verifiable
evidence, but it also politicizes the issue. More than often, SEMG
reports are replete with hearsay, insinuation, outright factual
misrepresentations, conjectures, unsubstantiated accusations and
unwarranted conclusions. These obvious flaws can only cast doubt on
the professionalism and impartiality of the body, and, the validity
and credibility of its reports and recommendations.
Mr. Chairman,
Distinguished Delegates,
Eritrea has not violated any of the provisions of the Security Council
resolutions. In light of this fact, Eritrea wishes to draw the
attention of the Committee Members to the following key findings and
salient points reflected in the SEMG report:
a. The SEMG itself has unequivocally concluded that Eritrea does
not support al-Shabaab in Somalia.
b. The Eritrea-Djibouti dispute does not constitute a threat to
regional and international peace and security. As pointed out above,
the mediation process agreed by the two Parties is on track while a
small contingent of Qatari peacekeepers continues to be deployed at
the Eritrean-Djibouti common border. It must also be recognized that
Eritrea had deployed its troops from its sovereign territory. It has
thus fulfilled the implementation of resolution 1862 both as a gesture
of good will and for the sake of peace and security. As intimated
earlier, it must also be pointed out that the mediation process is not
under the SEMG’s mandate.
c. Eritrea has not violated the arms embargo and the SEMG
acknowledges that it did not find any credible and verifiable
information that Eritrea has violated the arms embargo.
d. UNSC resolution does not restrict Eritrea from collecting 2% RRT
from Eritreans in the Diaspora. Eritrea has not and is not using
“extortion, intimidation, threat of violence, fraud and illicit means”
in the collection of 2% Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Tax (RRT).
Countries such as Sweden, UK, Switzerland, and Germany have also
confirmed to the SEMG that Eritrea’s collection of 2% RRT from
Eritreans in Diaspora is consistent with international law and that
“no local laws or provisions of Resolution 2023 (2011) had been broken
or violated”. The 2% RRT is collected in a transparent manner on the
basis of Proclamations No 17/1991 and 67/1995 which is already in the
hands of the SEMG. Tax evasion is a serious felony punishable by law –
mostly entailing imprisonment – in all UN Member States. These
punitive measures have never been construed as intimidation or scare
tactics for any country before. In the event, Eritrea fails to
understand and is intrigued why the SEMG considers Eritrea's legal
administrative measures, that are taken against the 2% RRT evasion,
and that do not even include imprisonment, as “intimidation or scare
tactics”.
e. The revenue collected through the 2% RRT is not substantial and
is properly and effectively utilized for supporting Martyr’s families
and war disabled veterans. It is an alternative source of financing
for development and consistent with the African Union Summit decision
that calls for the involvement of the African Diaspora in the social,
political, cultural and economic development of the countries of
origin. Eritrea should be, emulated, commended and encouraged; not
punished on account of this act. For the record, the annual revenue
collected from the 2% RRT is no more than 11million US dollars, while
the annual expenditure to support families of martyrs and the disabled
veterans is more than 27 million US dollars.
f. Concerning the mining sector, Eritrea has not and is not
utilizing its mining revenues for activities that violate UN Security
Council Resolutions. As a matter of fact, the annual revenues that
the government earns from the mining sector can barely cover 40% of
Government’s annual expenditure for public programmes of education,
health and food security.
Mr. Chairman,
Distinguished Delegates,
The SEMG’s claim that it did not “obtain Eritrea’s full cooperation”
is not only factually wrong but unwarranted and must be corrected. For
the record, Eritrea has fully cooperated with the SEMG in good faith
from day one.
It must be recalled that the SEMG had visited Eritrea twice in
previous times and held extensive meeting with several GOE officials.
In addition, the SEMG met three times with Mr. YemaneGhebreab, the
Political Adviser to the President, in Stockholm, Paris and Cairo
respectively. The SEMG has held three video conferences with me as
Special Envoy of the President and Permanent Representative of Eritrea
to the United Nations, in 2014 and 2015. Several meetings have also
taken place between the SEMG and the Eritrean Mission in New York.
During the current mandate of the SEMG:
• Eritrea participated in good faith in two video conferences that
were facilitated by the Chairman of the Committee on 31 March and 21
August 2015. Each session took more than two hours of interaction.
• Eritrea has submitted comprehensive and timely written responses
on 01 April and 04 September 2015 to the questions raised by the SEMG.
Eritrea wishes to underline that some issues raised by the SEMG, such
as the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea, the situation in Yemen,
as well as the request for budget documents and investment agreements
constitute infringement on Eritrea's sovereignty. Still, Eritrea has
given explicit and definitive responses to the SEMG, stressing that
these “matters are outside its remit”. These responses are definitive,
legitimate and legal answers that should be duly acknowledged and
properly reflected in the report.
• Eritrea has also engaged constructively with the Group through
its Permanent Mission in New York.
Mr. Chairman,
Distinguished Delegates,
The SEMG did not stick to its mandate. The SEMG is mandated to
investigate whether Eritrea is supporting Al-Shebaab in Somalia and
whether the Eritrea and Djibouti border dispute is a threat to
regional and international peace and security. But to maintain the
unjust sanctions against Eritrea, the SEMG is attempting to move the
goalpost by dealing with issues that are outside its mandate.
Despite Eritrea’s repeated appeal to the United Nations Security
Council to guide the SEMG to stick to its mandate, the Group
unfortunately continues to present reports which are outside its
mandate. Its lopsided preoccupation on the Eritrea and Ethiopia
conflict, the situation in Yemen, as well as the internal situation of
Eritrea and Eritrea’s relationship with international investors and
global partners are cases in point. In all these instances, the
SEMG’s skewed approach totally ignores and disregards context,
perspective and potential ramifications.
a. The Eritrea-Ethiopia conflict is not within the purview of the
SEMG. It is an issue of the occupied and the occupier. Ethiopia is
occupying sovereign Eritrean territory, including the town of Badme.
The SEMG cannot be oblivious to this reality and address this grave
matter in an arbitrary and lop-sided manner.
Furthermore, Ethiopia publicly admits that it is hosting, financing,
arming and training several subversive Eritrean groups that
intermittently unleash terrorist forays against the people of Eritrea.
More recently, on 07 July 2015, the Ethiopian Prime Minister stated,
in his address to the Parliament, that “Ethiopia will take military
action against Eritrea”. The use or threat of use of force against any
country, big or small, is a violation of the UN Charter and
international law. These acts should be condemned and not tolerated
by the Security Council. Therefore, the Council must reject the
SEMG's selective report on the Eritrea Ethiopia conflict. Eritrea
has long maintained that the UN Security Council should shoulder its
responsibilities on Ethiopia’s flagrant violation of international
law, the Algiers Peace Agreement and the final and binding decision of
the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission. In Eritrea’s view, this
matter must be broached in a different forum under a different agenda
item for the Security Council to compel Ethiopia to fulfill its treaty
obligations; and, to respect the UN Charter by withdrawing from
sovereign Eritrean territories, including the town of Badme.
b. The situation in Yemen: the SEMG is again dealing with an issue
that is completely outside its mandate. Its hasty report is, sadly,
an amalgam of outright falsehoods, insinuations, insults and
inaccuracies. As it is well-known, Eritrea shares a long maritime
boundary in the Red Sea with numerous countries. In the strait of Bab
el-Mandab, Eritrea has continuous maritime boundaries with Djibouti
and Yemen. In this sense, it is directly affected by economic,
political and military developments in the region. But these matters
do not fall within the purview of the SEMG and cannot be subject of
its sloppy reporting.
Mr. Chairman,
Distinguished Delegates,
Both UN Security Council resolutions and the UN Charter “reaffirm the
respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence
and unity of Eritrea”. However, in violation of the UN Charter and in
breach of Eritrea’s sovereign rights, the Group resorts to intrusive
innuendos on the internal political, economic and social situation in
Eritrea.
The report completely misrepresents the Eritrean political and
economic system. It goes to great lengths to insult and denigrate the
Eritrean financial system. It misrepresents, rather gratuitously, the
financial sector, the roles of the government, the People’s Front for
Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) and the Eritrean Defense Forces. It
requests to scrutinize investment agreements that the GOE has entered
with foreign companies and rather foolishly recommends that Eritrea’s
international development partners - including the European Union and
African Development Bank to review and reconsider their development
cooperation with Eritrea. It is worth mentioning that this sinister
recommendation was included in the first draft resolution that was
tabled in 2011 and rejected by members of the Council. The list is
long.
Mr. Chairman,
Distinguished Delegates,
In conclusion:
1. (a) "There is no evidence that Eritrea is supporting al-Shabaab
in Somalia". With all its shortcomings, the SEMG asserts this
cardinal fact without equivocation.
(b) As emphasized above, the Eritrea-Djibouti dispute is under a
mediation process and does not, otherwise, constitute a threat to
regional and international peace and security.
(c) In the event, the two reasons for imposing unjust sanctions on
Eritrea are non-existent. As such, lifting the sanctions immediately
and unconditionally can only be the right course of action by the
UNSC. The logical corollary of this action is the termination of the
mandate of the SEMG. And in any case, as the SEMG has concluded its
work concerning Eritrea, the Eritrean Government strongly feels that
the SEMG has outlived its purpose and its mandate should not be
renewed.
2. A few days ago on the 25thof September, we adopted the historic
post 2015 development agenda. All of us collectively pledged to
respect and implement the principle that "no country or people should
be left behind". Unjust sanctions definitely have negative
implications on the social and economic development of the Eritrean
people, in particular women and children. It also goes against the
letter and spirit of the poverty eradication agenda. Let us practice
what we have pledged: "No one should be left behind". Eritrea, thus,
appeals to the UN Security Council to immediately and unconditionally
lift the unjust sanctions.
3. Eritrea, with 1,200 kilometers of coastline and more than 350
islands, located in the volatile Horn of Africa and the Red Sea
Region, with 50% Christian and 50% Moslem population, is a peaceful
and harmonious country. Any development or activity concerning the
issue of peace and security in the Horn of Africa and Red Sea Region
directly affects Eritrea’s security and economic development. As a
member of the United Nations, Eritrea is fully committed to the UN
Security Council resolutions to fight global terrorism and extremism.
Therefore, for Eritrea to effectively contribute to the fight against
global terrorism and extremism and to protect its sovereignty and
territorial waters, it is paramount for the UN Security Council to
unconditionally and immediately lift the unjust sanction.
Mr. Chairman,
Distinguished Delegates,
• Technical and procedural matters should not be used as a pretext
to maintain the sanctions. The visit or lack of visit by the
Monitoring Group to Eritrea should not be used as an excuse for the
continuation of the sanctions. There is no purpose or added value that
will be gained from SEMG's visit to Eritrea.
• Lifting the unjust sanctions will enhance peace and security in
the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea Region. On the other hand, the
maintenance of the sanctions can only be a recipe for disaster and
chaos.
• In the event, Eritrea appeals, once again, to the Security
Council to terminate the mandate of the SEMG and to immediately and
unconditionally lift the sanctions.
Thank you
Received on Thu Oct 22 2015 - 23:22:22 EDT