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From: Sophia Tesfamariam (sophia_tesfamariam@hotmail.com)
Date: Sat Jul 16 2011 - 12:24:01 EDT
Thank you,Sophia Tesfamariam
Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) wrong on Eritrea...again!
On 7 July 2011, Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade, delivered a statement during a joint hearing with the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights entitled, "Assessing the Consequences of the Failed State of Somalia". Unfortunately his "cut and paste" statement was devoid of facts about Somalia and the region. His brazen attack on the Government and people of Eritrea was also unwarranted. As someone who follows developments in the region closely, I was perplexed as to why Rep. Ed Royce ignored the humanitarian catastrophe, the destruction and devastation in Somalia, and why he chose instead, as he had done before, to use the forum to advance Meles Zenawi's agendas against the State of Eritrea and its people.
Whilst the hearing was on Somalia, his singular focus was Eritrea, the one country in the region that has neither borders with Somalia, nor a bone in the fight that has cost the lives of thousands of Somalis seemed to be a deliberate attempt, once again, to divert attention away from the facts and evidence on the ground, to white wash and cover up deadly US mistakes in Somalia and the wider Horn region by using Eritrea as a scapegoat. His tirade against Eritrea was devoid of facts and a digression from what the other presenters brought to the table-studied analysis on Somalia. His behavior is unbecoming of a lawmaker whose primary function is to promote the rule of law and seek the truth. His statement was a disservice to his colleagues and the many interested parties that attend these hearings.
For those of us who have been following development in Somalia recognized, in his statement, the rehearsed script used by Meles Zenawi and his handlers. A script that has long lost its steam and believability, and one that has become instead an embarrassment for those who are still peddling it. It is a script that has been used to prevent a viable solution for Somalia from being crafted, it is a script designed to maintain the status quo, and a script to perpetuate the suffering of the Somali people. It a script used by officials in the incompetent Bureau of African Affairs and the US State Department whose policies for the Horn of Africa seem to be centered on propping up the illegitimate mercenary minority regime in Ethiopia, against the wishes and aspirations of the suffering people of Ethiopia.
Ethiopia and its leadership are not new subjects for Rep. Ed Royce and the United States Congress. He and his colleagues have authored several Bills and written several letters calling on the US State Department to reign in the belligerent and lawless regime, but to no avail. He is also not ignorant of Ethiopia and its leaders, as we can see from his 25 May 2010 Blog, "Nineteen more, Prime Minister Meles!" in which Royce meticulously notes Meles Zenawi's excesses and the state of affairs that beleaguered country. In his Blog, Rep. Ed Royce wrote:
"ÉForeign journalists denied visas. The internet jammed. Newspapers closed. There are credible reports of food aid being used as a political weapon. The government jams our Voice of America broadcasts, despite the nearly billion dollars of aid we give it each year. The State Department reports that Ethiopian security services commit politically motivated killings. The Meles government has the repression thing down pretty goodÉ Meles has buddies. Throughout the continent, several leaders are into their second, third and nearly fourth decades in power. No democrats here. The State Department tends to put them on pedestals, especially Rwanda's Kagame and Uganda's Museveni. Along with Meles, the Clinton Administration lauded these "new African leaders"É Diplomats, never wanting to offend, always short democracy. They go especially easy on Ethiopia because it checks jihadists in neighboring Somalia. I doubt the Ethiopian government hits them as hard as its political opponentsÉ Sadly, power has gotten to the point of absolutely corrupting Meles' 19-year ruleÉ"
Rep. Ed Royce knows Meles Zenawi well.
As a co-sponsor of HR-2760, Ed Royce was one of the first US lawmakers to alert the US Congress on Meles Zenawi's violation of international law and the Algiers Agreements signed between Eritrea and Ethiopia. An Agreement brokered by Susan E. Rice, who headed the Bureau of African Affairs in the Clinton Administration, an Agreement witnessed and guaranteed by the African Union, European Union, the United States and the United Nations. When Meles Zenawi reneged on his obligations under international law, Ed Royce who served as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa made the following statement in support of the Bill-RESOLUTION OF THE ETHIOPA-ERITREA BORDER DISPUTE ACT OF 2003 introduced by the late Tom Lantos on 16 October 2003:
"ÉMost immediately, the international effort to demarcate their common border has been jeopardized by what almost everyone recognizes to be Ethiopian intransigenceÉThe Ethiopian government has essentially rejected the work of the Boundary Commission that was established by the Algiers Agreement in 2000,following 2 years of bloody fighting that cost an estimated 100,000 Ethiopian and Eritrean lives and cost $2 billionÉIndeed, the U.N. Security Council has written the Ethiopian government conveying their deep regret at the intention of the government of Ethiopia not to accept the entirety of the delimitation and demarcation decision as decided by the Boundary CommissionÉDemarcation, I recognize, is difficult. It always is. In this case, blood has been spilt and feelings are raw, yet the Ethiopian leadership is doing nothing to prepare Ethiopians to accept the commission's decision. Instead, it is whipping up anti-commission sentiment, manipulating nationalism for its own gain and, I believe, playing with fireÉ"-
Unfortunately, even though the Bill was passed unanimously in the House, it was killed before it made it to the Senate. Meles Zenawi's lobbyists and his "skirted friends" in the Bush Administration managed to kill it.
Today, emboldened by the diplomatic, financial and political shield and support he receives from the US Administration, Meles Zenawi's regime is attempting to spread its bigotry and xenophobia outside the Horn region, by targeting the Eritrean Diaspora, a sizeable number of which live in the United States. Ed Royce will be wittingly or unwittingly, aiding and abating Meles Zenawi by allowing him to harass and intimidate Eritrean Americans using "terrorism" (Al Shabbab) as a pretext. For the record, Eritrea has never supported any terrorist groups and has absolutely no links with Al Shabbab or any groups associated with Al Qaeda. Eritrea is being punished for not going along with the US State Department dangerous and deadly policy for Somalia in particular and the Horn region in general.
Rep. Ed Royce knows that "bad ideas can have bad consequences" and I would like to take this opportunity to illustrate for him how ugly and dangerous bad ideas can get. This idea of putting Eritrea on the "list of countries that sponsor terror" was first raised by Meles Zenawi and Jenday E. Frazier during the US-backed Ethiopian invasion and occupation of Somalia. At that time, the vindictive Frazier, an African American, had the audacity to question the rights of citizenship of Eritrean Americans. In one of her many press conferences she referred to Eritrean Americans as "Eritreans living in our country" and then again as "Eritreans who are living in the United States, as if Eritrean Americans were citizens of some lower category. Fortunately, Eritrean Americans are proud, productive and confident US citizens who don't suffer from identity and inferiority complexes.
That 2007 announcement by Frazier emboldened Meles Zenawi and his mercenaries in the United States and the rejected Eritrean "opposition" groups to launch an unprecedented campaign against the Eritrean American Diaspora and engaged in activities that included political blackmail, xenophobia and hate crimes (all illegal in the United States). Allow me to list some of the "bad consequences" of that "bad idea" (These are not hearsay, but documented evidences that the community is scrupulously compiling to forward to the appropriate authorities).
Eritrean Americans were targeted, taunted and insulted in cyberspace (as they are now). Eritrean youth were labeled "Hitler's children" and members of the Eritrean Diaspora were labeled "cash cows" and more. Groups sponsored by the mercenary minority regime in Ethiopia have misrepresented the Eritrean Diaspora for their unwavering support for the government and people of Eritrea. For example, a recent post on one such group, Asmarino.com, in an Editorial under the headline "Eritrean Diaspora Money and Al Shabaab" made very serious allegations about the Eritrean Diaspora and attempted to link it with Al Shabbab. This site and its owners, like the minority regime in Ethiopia, have long targeted the Eritrean Diaspora that rejected its gutter politics. The latest Wikileak cables show that activities against the Eritrean Diaspora are encouraged and supported by the US State Department and its incompetent Bureau of African Affairs. More on that on another dayÉ
Asmarino.com and its sister sites have maligned and misrepresented the annual Eritrean festivals, the communities' fundraising events to support Eritrea's war heroes and their families, its efforts to support disabled war veterans, its efforts to support Eritrea's drought victims etc. etc. and today have taken their campaign to another dangerous level. Asmarino's latest editorial ended with this threat, "stop funding terrorists or jeopardize the freedom you are enjoying in your host countries". Once again, Eritrean Americans are equal in citizenship as any other American and have full rights under the law. In the Untied States, the law states that you are innocent until proven guilty. This is not Ethiopia and Eritrean Americans should not be subjected to Meles Zenawi's version of the rule of law and should not be harassed and intimidated for rejecting divisive agendas against their tight knit, law abiding, exemplary immigrant community.
In cities across the United States, FBI and other law enforcement agents in full riot gear, carrying large deadly weapons and wearing riot gear and masks etc. etc. have raided private homes and businesses and questioned innocent Eritrean Americans including young children about their relationship with their country of origin, how much money they make, how much they send home etc. etc. Some of these children are having a hard time sleeping and have been traumatized by these troubling and invasive violations. Rep. Ed Royce, yes, there are bad consequences to bad ideasÉstop the witch-hunt on Eritrean Americans by standing up for the rule of law.
At the 7 July 2011 hearing on Somalia, Rep. Ed Royce stated the following:
"ÉNowhere are the consequences of Somalia more evident than when it comes to international terrorism and the threat from al-Shabaab, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizationÉIn the past few years, the Shabaab threat has grown dramaticallyÉA year ago, the group conducted its first attacks outside of Somalia, killing 76 Ð including one American - in Kampala, UgandaÉ"
Since Rep. Ed Royce mentioned this incident in Uganda, I think it is appropriate and only fair to report about it without critical omissions. There were 8 Eritreans killed in that Al Shabbab sponsored suicide attack in Uganda in July 2010. I was in Eritrea when their bodies were repatriated and know that many more were injured. Eritrea condemned the attacks as did other nations, including the United States.
Al Shabbab targeted the Ethiopian restaurant in Uganda, where patrons were watching the World Cup Final. According to local and international news reports, they were "retaliatory attacks" against Uganda and Ethiopia. Ethiopia invaded and occupied Somalia in 2006 and committed untold international crimes in that country and Ugandan forces serving in Somalia have also committed crimes against the Somali people. If the Congressman would rid himself of the anti-Eritrea bias that seems to be clouding his judgment, he would see that by scapegoating Eritrea, he is, in essence, advancing Meles Zenawi's agenda.
In his 7 July 2011 Statement, Rep. Ed Royce said:
"ÉThe U.N. Security Council Ð acting largely at the urging of African neighbors Ð passed sanctions against Eritrea, demanding that the country "cease arming, training, and equipping" al-ShabaabÉ"
First of all, the UN Security Council's function is not to rubber-stamp resolutions adopted by a regional organization when invoking Chapter VII of the UN Charter to impose sanctions on a Member State but to do so only on the basis of incontrovertible facts and law. The Security Council provided no evidence to substantiate its allegations against the State of Eritrea. Fabricating events, sales receipts and other documents is not evidenceÉit is a crime!
Secondly, it did not take a rocket scientist to figure out that it was the mercenary minority regime in Ethiopia, led by Meles Zenawi that was behind the shenanigans at IGAD and the African Union. As the paper trails and the records showed, despite what Susan E. Rice, the US Ambassador to the United Nations claims about Resolution 1907 (2009) being an "African Initiative", it was in fact, an initiative orchestrated by Meles Zenawi, Johnnie Carson and other members of the Bureau of African Affairs along with Susan E. Rice who arm twisted members of the Security Council to adopt it on Christmas Eve.
Thirdly, there are now serious concerns about the real authors of the UN documents that are being presented as being of the Somalia Monitoring Group. On 4 November 2011, Risk Professional released a document entitled "US Treasury discloses intelligence sources in sanctions document" in which it discussed sanctions on Eritrea and the Somali Monitoring Group's report on Eritrea. It said:
"ÉReviewing that document suggests that the relevant part was compiled by US representatives to the UN and is, by implication, credited to the Monitoring Group on Somalia. However, it appears from reading the UN report that, in producing its Somalia document, the USA was highly instrumental in writing the passage which it now quotes, providing what amounts to self-corroborationÉ"
The latest Report from the SMG will soon be presented to the Security Council, but if it is anything like the IGAD paper that was circulated in Addis and Maputo, it will be filled with fabricated allegations and will be rejected by the people of Eritrea. That is what I told Matt Bryden, the head of the SMG when I met him in April 2011 in Oslo, Norway.
Despite the many hours that I spent chatting with Matt Bryden, the current Chair of the Somalia Monitoring Group, he provided no evidence of Eritrea's alleged support for Al Shabbab. Bryden even chided Eritrea by telling me that Al Shabbab didn't need Eritrea's money, and that "Al Shabbab had more money than Eritrea will ever have". He said a lot more, but nothing to convince me (or himself) of any wrongdoing by Eritrea in Somalia or elsewhere in the region. When I mentioned Ethiopia's terrorist acts against Eritrea and Ethiopia's harboring and financing groups that committed terrorist acts against Eritrea, Matt said, "Ethiopia is not under sanction", meaning Ethiopia is free to do as it pleases in the region. He also told me then that support for Al Shabbab was not the central issue in New York. He said that the issue was "political"Éduh!
So instead of parroting unsubstantiated allegations against the State of Eritrea, its people and leadership, Rep. Ed Royce:
Should call for a Congressional hearing and investigation to determine if officials in the Bush and Obama Administrations lied or deliberately misled Congress about Somalia. Why do Yamamoto and Carson repeat the same lies about Eritrea? I personally checked with the Eritrean Embassy in Washington, DC and with officials in the Eritrean Foreign Ministry in Asmara and there are no pending "visa applications" sitting at the Embassy as Yamamoto implied in his 7 July 2011 testimony. As a matter of fact, both Carson and Yamamoto wee notified months ago that they were considered persona non-grata in Eritrea and would not be issued visas to enter Eritrea. Yet, these two US officials continue to mislead lawmakers and the US public with their statements.
Should not allow his personal relationship with Susan Rice to influence his responsibility as a US lawmaker. He and other members of the Untied States Congress should call for an immediate and independent enquiry on the serious allegations that Susan Rice, Donald Yamamoto, Jendayi E. Frazier and Johnnie Carson have made and continue to make, in private and public, against the Government and people of Eritrea.
Must seek the truth by tracing the roots of the illegal, unfair and unjust UN Resolution 1907 (2009), how it was brought to the Security Council, who initiated the effort etc. etc. as I believe the truth will compel them call for its immediate and unconditional annulment.
Should call on the US government to shoulder its legal and moral obligations under international law and the Algiers Agreements it witnessed and guaranteed by calling for the unconditional implementation of the Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission's final and binding delimitation and demarcation decisions on the Eritrea Ethiopia border.
And other US lawmakers should meet with the vast Eritrean American Diaspora and address their concerns about the increase in hate crimes and discrimination against the Eritrean Diaspora community.
Should take immediate action against groups such as the owners of Asmarino.com who are inciting hate crimes against the Eritrean Diaspora communities, spreading xenophobia, inciting ethnic and religious conflicts and violating the rights of US citizens of Eritrean origin.
Finally, while it is the US' prerogative to create "lists" to shame and blame other countries as it seeks to advance US interests around the world, they work only if they are credible, fair and just. For a country to be put on such as list with serious ramifications should not be taken lightly and should not be a matter of political expediency.
While Ed Royce and Susan Rice are rushing to put Eritrea on the list of countries that sponsor terror without providing an iota of evidence to support their allegations against the Government and people of Eritrea, in what can only be considered a serious dereliction of duty and lack of common sense, that after fighting with the Taliban in Afghanistan for over 10 years, and when thousands of US servicemen have been killed by terrorist attacks from this group, and when US interests in the region are seriously threatened, neither they nor the US State Department have taken steps to place the Taliban on the list.
When groups financed and sponsored by the minority regime in Ethiopia committed terrorist acts against the State of Eritrea by planting land mines that killed innocent farmers, blew up mini buses, killed innocent people including a British geologist working in one of Eritrea's gold mines, the US State Department also looked the other way and in some instances, even justified these attacks.
US-Eritrea relations which began on a good footing after Eritrea's independence in 1991 deteriorated during the Clinton administration and Susan E. Rice, who headed the Bureau of African Affairs back then. They soured further under the leadership of Jendayi E. Frazier and the Bush Administration. Eritrean Americans and Eritreans around the world were hoping for change in US policy for Eritrea, but unfortunately, the Obama Administration with Johnnie Carson at the Bureau of African Affairs and Susan E. Rice at the UN, have managed to literally dash any hope for it ever improving. After the illegal, unfair and unjust US-Ethiopia engineered sanctions against the State of Eritrea and its people, it would be a travesty of justice to put Eritrea on the list of countries that sponsor terror, and will lead to an irrevocable severance of US-Eritrea relations. If that is the ultimate goalÉwe are almost there.
The conduct of the above mentioned US State Department cadres is an unfortunate reflection of the poor, petty and lacking US diplomacy that is undermining US interests around the world. The abuse of power and bullying tactics that define US diplomacy today is an embarrassment for the people of the United States. It will only further undermine the credibility and integrity of the United States, and its leadership to play its due role in bringing peace, stability and progress in the world today. It also does nothing to improve US reputation in the Horn region, where it is at an all time low, and where anti-American sentiments amongst the people who are bearing the brunt of its racist, Islam phobic and incoherent policies for the Horn of Africa, are at an all time high.
As for SomaliaÉunless there is a serious change in US policy, it will continue to bleedÉ
The rule of law must prevail over the law of the jungle!
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