From: Biniam Haile \(SWE\) (eritrea.lave@comhem.se)
Date: Fri May 22 2009 - 15:07:06 EDT
Press Release: IGAD: an irresponsible resolution by an inept
organization
By Ministry of Foreign Affairs
May 22, 2009, 14:59
In its "Extraordinary Session of the Council of Ministers" held in Addis
Abeba on 20th May, IGAD heaped groundless accusations against Eritrea
and "called upon the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to impose
sanctions on the Government of Eritrea without any further delay". This
is an irresponsible resolution by an inept organization which bears
primary responsibility for the current mayhem and crisis in Somalia.
Indeed, as it may be recalled, Eritrea had suspended its membership from
this organization in April 2007 precisely for those cogent reasons. At
the time, Ethiopia had invaded Somalia to subvert a healthy internal
process of national reconciliation that was set in motion under the
auspices of the broad coalition of the Union of Islamic Courts. Relative
peace and order was restored in Somalia after more than a decade of
chaos and turmoil. And while genuine efforts were underway to buttress
and consolidate this nascent process to bring about an enduring peace
and reconciliation in Somalia, the regime in Ethiopia chose, in
collusion with other external powers and raising the spurious specter of
"Islamic terrorism", to roll back the promising developments in Somalia
and to plunge the country in another, more intractable, cycle of chaos
and conflict.
Ethiopia's invasion of Somalia was in breach of fundamental principles
of international law and agreed ground rules that governed the conduct
of IGAD Member States in relation to peace-building efforts in Somalia.
In the first place, there was consensus within IGAD that Somalia's
immediate neighbors would not contribute to any peacekeeping force, when
and if that force was deployed in Somalia within the framework and after
the formulation of a viable and comprehensive peace agreement. The
reasons for this prudent approach were varied but principally revolved
around the acute historical animosities that exist between Somalia and
its immediate neighbors, and especially Ethiopia (the two countries had
gone to war twice in the past decades) due to unsettled territorial
claims against each other.
In was against this backdrop that Ethiopia invaded Somalia, for the
third time in the past decades, in December 2006. As it will be
recalled, Ethiopia's first explanation was couched in "pre-emptive
terms". At the time, Ethiopia's Prime Minister announced that the
invasion was prompted by the "exigencies of thwarting the threat to its
national security from fundamentalist terrorism". Soon after, Ethiopia's
Prime Minister recanted to claim that the invasion was carried out on
the invitation of an illegitimate "Transitional Federal Government" of
Somalia. What was morally more reprehensible than Ethiopia's invasion
was the "endorsement" of this flagrant breach of international law and
the Charter of IGAD by several Member States of this defunct
organization. The sad fact is IGAD has degenerated into a mere
instrument for advancing Ethiopia's perilous strategies in the region
and especially its hostility against Eritrea.
The debacle of Ethiopia's invasion, the magnitude of the humanitarian
suffering that it has inculcated on the Somali people is too well known
to be repeated here. Eritrea had opposed Ethiopia's invasion on
well-founded grounds of international law; the agreed ground rules for
the conduct of IGAD Member States that were prevalent at the time; the
interests of regional peace and stability; and above all, in order to
promote the welfare of the Somalia people. Eritrea had never recognized
the so-called Transitional Governments that were often established
outside Somalia by circumventing or subverting inclusive and genuine
processes of national reconciliation and peace building.
Eritrea had not recognized in the past the "Transitional Government of
Mr. Abdulqasm Salad... or, the Transitional Government led by Mr.
Abdullahi Yusuf...". For the same reason, it does not recognize today
the Transitional Government formed by Mr. Sherif Sheikh Ahmed. Eritrea
firmly believes that the road to durable peace in Somalia does not lie
in ostracizing some political groups while anointing others as the
"sole, legitimate, government". This path has only led to more conflict
and suffering in the past. As we have underlined before, the Somali
people deserve to be treated better. They cannot be guinea pigs for
costly "political experiments" or remain as the theatre for the
strategic games of Ethiopia and other powers that wish to balkanize and
keep Somalia weak and perpetuate the suffering of its population.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Asmara
22 May 2009
http://www.shabait.com/staging/publish/article_009966.html
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