http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jt-XL2eDHTReBsEOK5UayeMHSlMg?docId=CNG.963fd3cb350dbf9a9143bd73654b9986.d51
UN Council refuses to delay Eritrea sanctions vote
(AFP) – 2 hours ago 12-02-2011
UNITED NATIONS — The UN Security Council on Friday refused to delay a
vote next week on taking sanctions against Eritrea so the isolated
country's head of state can make his case, diplomats said.
The vote is set for Monday but President Issaias Afeworki does not
have enough time to get to New York, according to the UN envoy for the
impoverished nation, which is accused of plotting an attack on an
African Union summit this year.
Several Security Council members, including Russia, China and South
Africa, argued in informal talks for the vote to be delayed for two
days, diplomats said. But the 15-member body stuck to the schedule
demanded by the United States and Gabon, which drew up the resolution.
"It is going to be Monday," said Russia's UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin
after the talks, but he said the details of who would be present are
not clear. Some East African ministers are expected to address the
meeting by video-link.
Afeworki asked in October to speak to the Security Council which sent
an invitation this week.
Eritrea's UN ambassador Araya Desta told AFP that Afeworki wanted to
attend but did not get a visa to enter the United States on time to
organize a flight.
However US officials said visas were granted within hours of the
application being made. Diplomats said Afeworki still had three days
to get to the UN headquarters.
Council members Gabon and Nigeria drew up the sanctions resolution
against Eritrea. Gabon, backed by the United States, had pressed for a
vote last Wednesday but they were persuaded to wait until Monday to
give Afeworki a chance.
Ethiopia and other East African countries have led the campaign
outside the council for tougher action against Eritrea.
Eritrea split from Ethiopia in 1993 and the two have remained
arch-rivals ever since.
A UN report this year accused the Asmara government of involvement in
a plot to bomb an African Union summit in the Ethiopian capital.
Kenya has complained about Eritrea's backing for Shebab Islamist
militants in Somalia, while Djibouti has a border dispute with its
neighbor.
The UN sanctions monitoring group said in a report released in July
that Eritrea was giving political, financial and logistical support to
Shebab and other groups.
The draft sanctions resolution would widen a travel ban and assets
freeze against Eritrean individuals and entities passed by the
Security Council in 2009.
It demands that Eritrea "cease all direct or indirect efforts to
destabilize states, including through financial, military,
intelligence and non-military assistance." It also "condemns" the
alleged Eritrean plot to bomb the African summit.
The government has denied the allegations and the Eritrean ambassador
called the resolution "outrageous".
Demands in the first draft resolution to ban investment in Eritrea's
key mining industry and a government tax on remittances sent back by
Eritrean workers abroad have been dropped.
The resolution "decides" that Eritrea shall "cease using extortion,
threats of violence, fraud and other illicit means to collect taxes
outside of Eritrea from its nationals."
The document also expresses concern at the "potential use" of
Eritrea's new mining revenues to "destabilize the Horn of Africa
region". It calls on UN states to use greater "vigilance" in dealing
with the Eritrean mining sector.
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Received on Fri Dec 02 2011 - 22:26:37 EST