From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Wed May 13 2009 - 07:38:35 EDT
Last Updated: May 12th, 2009 - 10:30:49
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Eritrea's support to the Somali issue emanates from its legal right and
moral obligation: President Isaias
By Staff
May 12, 2009, 13:26
Asmara, 12 May 2009 – In an interview with Shabelle Radio & Television based
in Mogadishu, President Isaias Afwerki said that Eritrea's support to Somali
nationals fighting for the reconstitution of their country in particular and
the Somali issue in general emanates from its legal right and moral
obligation, and is not a benevolent gesture. It should also be viewed within
the context of Eritrea's endeavors towards promoting regional peace and
stability, he added.
Noting that relations between the people of Eritrea and Somalia is both
historical and brotherly, the President underlined that the all-round
support of the Somali people to the Eritrean people in the days of the
struggle for independence occupies a special place in the history of this
nation. He further pointed out that Eritrea's present support is essentially
channeled to the Somali people and the issue of Somalia in general, rather
than to a specific group against another. In this respect, President Isaias
elaborated that the Asmara Conference on the Reconstitution of Somalia in
which Somali nationalists took part was a vivid demonstration of the
aforementioned stance.
In the detailed briefings he gave as regards the history of Somalia in
general and the tragic situation that unfolded after 1991 in particular, the
President explained that the existing tribal politics fomented by external
interference that is exposing people to horizontal polarization is
aggravating the Somali issue. In this respect, he called on the Somali
people to join ranks and strengthen the struggle for the reconstitution of
their country by taking note of the conspiracy targeting their national
unity and very existence.
Stressing that Eritrea has no hidden agenda in Somalia, President Isaias
indicated that the dissemination of rumors alleging that Eritrea and
Ethiopia are 'engaged in proxy war in Somalia' are but totally baseless and
a manufactured pure fiction which has been serving as an excuse for invasion
and external interference.
He went on to underscore that peace in Somalia means peace in the entire
Horn region, and that ensuring Somalia's unity, sovereignty and independence
is the pillar for this lofty goal. As such, creating a political atmosphere
that would enable the Somalis sit at a round-table and resolve their issue
themselves is decisive, President Isaias explained.
The President noted that imposing so-called "government" from the outside is
tantamount to adding fuel to the flame, and that attempts to classify the
people and leadership of Somalia and their struggle under the label of 'the
Asmara wing' or "the Djibouti wing' is but a conspiracy that constitutes an
insult to the Somali people's intelligence on the one hand, and making the
Somali popular struggle appear as if it is an appendage, as well as part of
other state of affairs on the other.
Moreover, he pointed out that it is indeed distressing to witness regional
and international organizations blessing the invasion of a member state and
paying deaf ear when Somalia languishes for years under the rule of warlords
and falling victim to external interference. In this connection, President
Isaias stated that the UN, the AU and IGAD are to be held accountable to all
the adversities that befell upon Somalia as a result of invasion and
external interference. Indicating that the Ugandan and Burundian soldiers
deployed around Mogadishu under the guise of 'peacekeeping mission' are only
aggravating the situation, and hence should withdraw, the President
declared: "How come governments that could not ensure peace and stability
inside their own countries claim to bring about peace in another nation?"
Replying to a question whether he believes that there exists terrorism in
Somalia, President Isaias explained that the socio-cultural makeup of the
Somali people does not provide room for such phenomenon, and that this claim
is but a deliberate slander designed to lay the groundwork for invasion and
external interference. In this regard, he underscored that there exists no
terrorism in Somalia apart from the struggle for the realization of a just
cause.
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