From: Biniam Haile \(SWE\) (eritrea.lave@comhem.se)
Date: Sat Aug 08 2009 - 08:26:15 EDT
Eritrea denies deportation of diplomat
By LUCAS BARASA and CYNTHIA VUKETS
Posted Saturday, August 8 2009 at 13:40
Eritrea on Saturday emphatically denied that one of its diplomats and
another national had been deported from Kenya for security reasons.
Ambassador Salih Omar Abdu however confirmed the country's Foreign
Minister was in Kenya to deliver a special message to President Kibaki,
just two days after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton vowed to act
on Eritrea for allegedly supporting Somalia insurgents.
In an interview with the Nation at the Eritrean embassy in Nairobi, Mr
Abdu said: "None of the Eritrean embassy staff has been deported for the
last two and half years that I have been in the country and before."
The Nation had earlier reported that an Eritrean diplomat and a
businessman had been expelled from Kenya. Immigration public
communications officer, Mr E Njeru, said, "There are two cases involving
Eritreans who were deported on security related grounds." But Mr Abdu
said the reports were "groundless and baseless."
The envoy denied Mrs Clinton's remarks that Eritrea was backing
al-shabaab militias who are fighting the Somalia government and said
Eritrea was not involved in efforts to destabilise the Ethiopian
administration.
Although the Horn of Africa country with 5.5 million people sympathises
with Somalis and wants their government reconstituted through
comprehensive political reconciliation, the envoy said it had nothing to
do with the al-shabaab.
Al-shabaab, which is believed to enjoy the backing of some foreigners,
has killed hundreds of people and displaced thousands in its efforts to
over-throw Sheikh Shariff Sheikh Ahmed government.
"Apart from Sheikh Ahmed who stayed in Eritrea for two years and hosting
of conferences to try and bring peace to Somalia, Eritrea does not host
the fighters," the envoy said.
He added that Sheikh Ahmed's rival, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys also
stayed in Eritrea. "Al-shabab has never stepped in Eritrea," he said.
According to the envoy, the Oromo Liberation Front that is fighting the
Ethiopian government is "struggling for self-determination."
Mr Abdu accused Ethiopia of occupying Eritrea's land, even after the
latter fought for independence for 30 years and engaged in another war
with it in 1998.
He said Eritrea severed links with Inter-Governmental Authority on
Development (Igad) for "blessing" the invasion of Ethiopian forces to
Somalia despite a UN security council resolution that countries
bordering it should not engage there.
Saying President Sheikh Shariff was hand-picked, Mr Abdu told
journalists that for peace to return to Somalia, the issues should be
left to them and that other countries should only act as facilitators.
He described Eritrea's relationship with Kenya as good and cordial and
that his presence in Nairobi was to help enhance this adding that his
country's Foreign Minister, Mr Mohammed was in the country to deliver a
message from Eritrea's President Isaias Afeworki to President Kibaki but
could not disclose the subject.
Mr Mohammed who is said to have tried to reach the President Kibaki but
in vain was to leave the country on Friday.
On Friday, Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula confirmed receiving
the letter which he promised to pass on to President when he returns
from a trip to Zambia next week.
Mr Abdu said Eritrea, which gained independence in 1991, is against
dependence syndrome and that it was exploring for oil which could be
struck by next year. The country is also rich in gold.
On Thursday, Mrs Clinton who is on a tour of Africa, warned of
unspecified action against Eritrea but on Saturday Mr Abdu said the
country's Foreign Minister visit to Kenya had nothing to do with it.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Robert Wood would not
elaborate on Mrs Clinton's warning, but said the Obama administration
believed Eritrea was supplying arms to militant groups. The Somalia
fighting in June alone left more than 250 civilians dead and forced
160,000 others to flee their homes.
On the US Government's warning, Mr Abdu said he hoped the superpower
would abide by international law as Eritrea was "innocent" and that
there was no evidence it was backing criminals.
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/636472/-/ullvjm/-/index.html
Eritrean Ambassador to Kenya Salih Omar Abdu addresses journalists on
Saturday. PHOTO/WILLIAM OERI
<http://www.nation.co.ke/image/view/-/636480/highRes/93280/-/maxw/600/-/
aa4lo7z/-/DNERITREA0808a.jpg>
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