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From: Berhane Alazar (erigram@comcast.net)
Date: Sat Dec 18 2010 - 00:21:23 EST
Eritrea and US - It takes two to Tango!
As Eritreans, with no access to the inner working of governments, most
of us suspected it all along, what looked obvious to many who have
witnessed the lopsided relationship Eritrea has had with various US
administrations for the last 50 years!.
Thanks to Wikileaks recent release of some avalanche of US State
Department cables, however, the world is mystified about the shoddy and
undiplomatic language about anyone except those inept personnel at the
State Department!
As I said earlier, I do not believe any Eritrean was surprised at the
bad language and somewhat vengefulness the US Ambassador to Eritrea, Mr.
Ronald McMullen, felt about Eritrea and its leadership. I don't want to
reprint the entire Eritrea cables here for, by now, we all have seen the
cables and read them. Suffice is to mention the unwarranted threat of
force the US was willing to enact against Eritrea should Eritrea fail to
succumb to US whims!
In one of the cables he sent to Washington, Ambassador McMullen was
quoted of saying "Senior Eritrean officials and Members of Eritrea's
'American Mafia' [senior party members who have lived or studied in the
US] have taken the lead in signaling interest in improved relations."
But in spite of the noble gestures those Eritreans showed, the resentful
diplomat, stating that the US is only interested in improved relations
if Eritrea ends its "Support for Somali extremists", he finished with a
crude warning: "Based on recent history, how do you [CNN reporter] think
we would react [against Eritrea] to a major al-Shabaab terrorist attack
against the United States?" In fact another sinister US design against
a sovereign Eritrea was aptly demonstrated by the bitter Ambassador when
he said the "Isaias regime is one pistol shot away from implosion."
In another unforeseen encounter, McMullen smugly notes that "General
Sebhat, Eritrean Defense minister, chose to spend the evening
celebrating Groundhog Day at the US Ambassador's residence on President
Isaias' birthday".
The ungratefulness and plain undiplomatic behavior of the Ambassador was
once again displayed when he was quoted as saying that his hosts offered
him "A sour, semi-fermented traditional drink called, aptly, 'sewa'."
Now, if the Ambassador had any decency at all, he would and should have
done his level best to work with the people who "Had signaled interest"
for betterment of relations between the country he represents and
Eritrea, instead of ridiculing them by calling them "American Mafia".
This reminds me of another inept "Diplomat", Dr. Jendayi Frazer, in her
August 17, 2007 press conference, when she shamelessly questioned our
"Americanism" by referring us as "Eritreans living in the United
States!"
As if we needed any reminder of the injustices successive US
administrations have been committing against Eritrea, Mr. McMullen finds
it amusing that the US would react like it did in Afghanistan should it
[and only it] determines that Eritrea is not falling into Washington's
demand! Talk about arrogance! He further appears to bask in the idea
of what he termed "Implosion" developing in Eritrea for which the US
would support! With "friendship", made in USA, who needs enemies?
And here is my favorite one. If the good Ambassador would have paid
attention to Eritrea's ways and norms instead of shuffling back and
forth to Ethiopia, Djibouti and Yemen during his stay in Eritrea, then
may be, and just may be, he would have learned that "Birthday parties"
are seldom celebrated by the older generation in Eritrea. In fact, it
is a safe bet that President Isaias probably forgot about that day. So,
to imply anything sinister on the part of General Sibhat by not
attending the President's birthday is imbecilic at best.
And as to place an exclamation mark to the rudeness of Mr. McMullen, he
shows his ingratitude to his benevolent hosts and in fact insults the
Eritrean people by associating 'Suwa" with sewage.
That being the case, how wise is it for the Eritrean government to
continually and unilaterally seek a better relationship with the
government of the United States, a government which has never responded
in kind except for the utterance of some rare and infrequent diplomatic
niceties? Just a thought,
Berhane Alazar
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