From: Biniam Haile \(SWE\) (eritrea.lave@comhem.se)
Date: Thu Apr 23 2009 - 16:37:32 EDT
Press Release: Daily Telegraph: Journalism at its Lowest Ebb of
Integrity
By Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Apr 23, 2009, 14:50
Reporting on Eritrea for the Daily Telegraph of the United Kingdom,
Damien McElory, manifested the art of distortion and deceit by trying to
align Eritrea with al-Shebab.
President Isaias Afwerki and the Delegation led by Andrew Mitchell, the
British Shadow Foreign Secretary, discussed a wide variety of issues;
amongst them, Somalia, bilateral cooperation and the role of NGOs. Mr.
Andrew Mitchell expressed his appreciation of the President's deep
knowledge of the situation in Somalia and referred the analysis as
compelling. Furthermore, Lord Ashcroft, part of the delegation and
present at the meeting, clearly entertained the views of the President
on the role of NGOs.
Although the journalist was not privy to the meeting, President Isaias
had summarized to him the gist of the discussions during his brief
interview that lasted above five minutes. But Mr. Damien chose to ignore
the briefing and to write something else because, it seems, he had come
to Eritrea with an already drafted story. Indeed, his article starts
with an alleged statement by an unidentified diplomatic source who
claims that the Obama Administration had recently "warned Eritrea". This
was a blatant lie hinged on an incident that never took place and to
which Eritrea could not be associated by any stretch of imagination.
Eritrea's stance on Somalia has been repeatedly echoed by the Government
of Eritrea on several occasions. It is also borne out by the facts on
the ground which clearly demonstrate that the meddling of external
forces has only exasperated the situation in Somalia. Eritrea has no
other agenda except the maintenance of peace and stability in our
region. Eritrea's argument originates from the full knowledge of the
Somali society and the prevailing realities on the ground. Ignoring the
complexities and intricacies of the cultures and experiences of any
given society, is the beginning of a failed endeavor.
The most amazing aspect of the Somalia situation is that, initially, the
external actors vigorously searched for pretexts to justify their intent
of intervention, and claimed the presence of 2000 Eritrean forces in
Somalia. Consequently, the Western Media called it a proxy war between
Eritrea and Ethiopia. The U.S. backed invasion of Somalia was initiated
with pompous fanfare and statements of arrogance. At the time, Eritrea
warned of the possible consequences. After two years, the pretentious
statements of Ethiopia were nowhere to find. They "graciously" accepted
a humiliating defeat and hit the road back home with tens of thousands
of their dead soldiers left behind. Now, the perpetrators of this fiasco
are looking for a scapegoat for their failed policy in Somalia. In this
regard, Eritrea has become the target again.
Eritrea has been consistently calling for a comprehensive peace process
in which all Somalis have a say in the installation of a lawful and
legitimate government. What is more noble than calling for the widest
possible participation of the people of Somalia? Eritrea never aligned
itself with one group of actors in Somalia. Damien McElory's inference
that Eritrea is courting al-Shabab is a plain fabrication, to say the
least. No one group is a solution, but only part of a solution in
Somalia or elsewhere, for that matter. Contrary to what Damien McElory
insinuates, Eritrea champions the Somali people at large. And at no time
has Eritrea claimed to have aligned itself with any isolated group.
Piracy is a disease that was able to mushroom because of the anarchic
situation in Somalia and, is indeed, a threat to be reckoned with. But
how do you go about curing this disease without addressing the
fundamental problem? It is Eritrea's genuine belief that once the
Somalis engage in and complete the reconstitution of their country,
piracy will disappear.
The Delegation and the "journalist" had a half day visit to a village in
the peripheries of Asmara, with a successful Water and Sanitation
Project of which Andrew Mitchell expressed his delight with the
appropriate application of Britain's tax payers money. Not a word was
mentioned of this success story in the Daily Telegraph. Instead, the
"journalist" chose to disseminate fabricated and deceitful stories about
Eritrea and tried to appear as if he has researched his story
extensively.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Asmara
23 April 2009
http://www.shabait.com/staging/publish/article_009836.html
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