From: B-Haile (eritrea.lave@comhem.se)
Date: Tue May 04 2010 - 18:28:46 EDT
Eritrean Pres. eyes better ties with Kuwait
Politics 2/16/2010 9:54:00 PM
KUWAIT, Feb 16 (KUNA) -- Eritrean President Isaias Afworki said his country enjoyed deeply-rooted historic ties with State of Kuwait which offered outstanding economic, military and political contributions to Eritrea's independence.
In an interview to be carried by Kuwait's Al-Anbaa daily on Wednesday, the Eritrean leader said the two countries proved to be all-weather friends and their ties stood the test of time.
"We can not forget Kuwait's great contributions to our independence as Kuwait has acted as a political, diplomatic and media outpost for the Eritrea question," he said.
"Since the very beginning of our struggle for independence Kuwait's assistances to Eritrea has not only been restricted to the economic domains but also extended to the military and political ones," Afworki affirmed.
"Kuwait is now contributing to strategic economic projects in Eritrea such as the power generating project. The first stage of rehabilitation of Eritrea's main power generating station was funded solely by Kuwait. Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) is now funding the project in partnership with similar funds from the other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states," he revealed.
"We take pride in our friendly ties with Kuwait. The two countries proved to be all-weather friends.
"While Kuwait supported our independence with backed up the Kuwait government and people against invasion launched by Iraq's ex-president Saddam Hussein," he recalled.
However, the Eritrean leader regretted that Kuwait's ties with some other African countries outpaced those with Eritrea.
Asked about the content of the message he delivered to His Highness the Kuwaiti Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Afworki said it had to do with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1907.
The resolution, adopted on December 23, 2009, imposes sanctions on Eritrea under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations and urges the East African nation to comply fully with the terms of the arms embargo imposed on Somalia.
"I've explained to HH the Amir the background and the complications behind the resolution," Afworki disclosed.
He praised HH the Amir for his long experience in diplomacy which enabled him "to understand the nature of the political intrigues of the Horn of Africa region." Afworki rapped the UNSC resolution as "unfair" and based on unjustifiable accusation of his country of involvement in the Somali civil conflict.
"I've exchanged views with HH the Amir on the developments of the situations in Somalia since the ouster of former president Mohamed Siad Barre (1969-1991) up till now," he added.
The Eritrean leader refuted the press reports on the existence of Iranian and Israeli and even Al-Qaeda bases in some Eritrean islands saying that his country was "not for sale or lease to anybody." "We attribute great importance to our ties with the GCC member states and Egypt, because these countries can play a major role in the stability and security as well as the economic development of the region," Afworki concluded. (end) ms.rf.gb KUNA 162154 Feb 10NNNN
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2062220&Language=en
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