http://www.voanews.com/content/eritrea_demands_un_security_be_lifted/1416736.html
Eritrea
Demands UN Sanctions Be Lifted
Peter Clottey
Last updated on: July 16, 2012 9:26 PM
Eritrea’s UN envoy said Asmara has petitioned the Security Council to lift
sanctions on his country after a monitoring group said it found no evidence
that Eritrea supports the Somali-based Islamist militant group al-Shabab.
Ambassador Araya Desta said Eritrea has yet to officially receive a copy of
the UN monitoring group’s report before it was allegedly leaked to some
media organizations.
“It’s a pity we have not yet received officially the copy of the report.
But, we have seen it in Reuters [news website] today that they have got a
copy and they are talking about it,” said Desta.
“We have been asking the sanctions committee to give us a copy of the
report, [but] they said we cannot give [it to] you. So, we don’t know what
this report is saying.”
Reuters reports that “Eritrea has reduced its support for the al
Qaida-linked militant group in Somalia under international pressure, but
still violates Security Council resolutions and remains a destabilizing
influence.”
But, Desta denied Asmara has supported al-Shabab.
“Definitely, I can assure you that the report was leaked to Reuters in
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia before Eritrea had a chance to see it. And, as
indicated in their July 6 press release, the [monitoring] group said it has
found no evidence to substantiate allegations that Eritrea supplied
al-Shabab with arms and ammunitions by air in October and November 2011,”
said Desta.
“We have been saying all this that Eritrea has never given arms to
al-Shabab and, even this time, they have come to say that they haven’t
received any evidence regarding this.”
Last year, the Security Council imposed sanctions on Eritrea for violating
sanctions imposed in 2009 by continuing to provide support to Islamist
militants in Somalia, including al-Shabab. Asmara denies aiding al-Shabab
or any other militant groups. But, in its latest report to the Security
Council, the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea said it found no
evidence that Eritrea supported al Shabab in the past year.
Desta said the “unjust” accusations were the basis of the imposed sanctions
and demanded the sanctions be lifted.
“These were the main issues that [led] to [UN Security Council] sanctions
[Resolution] 1907 [and], if that is the case, we request that the Security
Council lift the sanctions,” said Desta.
“We are asking the Security Council officially now, and before in writing,
that what has been [previously] reported by the monitoring group was
totally wrong and fabricated…And now that the monitoring group said it
didn’t find any evidence, then it is the duty of the Security Council to
lift it.”
Received on Mon Jul 16 2012 - 23:29:16 EDT
