From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Thu Nov 26 2009 - 11:42:46 EST
Eritrea warns West against imposing sanctions
Thu Nov 26, 2009 1:16pm GMT
* U.N. reviewing sanctions against Asmara
* Isaias says Somalia efforts are failing
By Jeremy Clarke
ASMARA, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki said the
international community would regret moves to impose sanctions on the
country, a government website said on Thursday.
The U.N. Security Council is reviewing draft plans for punitive measures
against the Red Sea state, which could include an arms embargo, travel bans
and asset freezes for members of Eritrea's government and military.
The Asmara authorities are accused of backing an insurgency in Somalia by
funnelling funds and weapons to rebels battling that country's U.N.-backed
transitional government.
"The distorted and baseless anti-Eritrea accusations and intended measures
in connection with the Somali issue would be a resort the authors and
implementers stand to regret," state-run website shabait.com quoted the
president as saying.
"There is no reason at all for Eritrea to send arms to Somalia where there
exists huge arsenal of armaments for a long time and is still the centre of
arms sales."
The president was critical of recent attempts to impose peace in the
anarchic country.
"The course being pursued by the international community in general and the
forces directly involved in the Somali issue in particular has failed to
bear any fruitful outcome," he said.
The draft proposes a ban on all sales to Asmara of "weapons and ammunition,
military vehicles and equipment, paramilitary equipment, and spare parts".
It would also impose a travel ban and freeze the assets of political and
military leaders and other Eritrean individuals and firms suspected of
backing the hardline Islamist rebels.
Some analysts fear sanctions would punish a population already hit by
drought and the global economic crisis, and that it may prove a rallying cry
for the government.
But one Western diplomat defended the proposed measures. "They strike the
right note between being too egregious to enforce upon a poor country, and
being too soft to put any pressure on the government," the diplomat said.
"We shouldn't underestimate the travel bans and asset freezes, this economy
relies on the financial and moral support of the diaspora, which requires
local officials drumming up support in other countries and carrying money
back in."
Fighting in Somalia has killed nearly 19,000 civilians since the start of
2007 and driven 1.5 million from their homes. (Editing by Daniel Wallis and
Victoria Main) ((Email: nairobi.newsroom@reuters.com; tel +254 20 222 4717))
(For more Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues,
visit: <http://africa.reuters.com/> africa.reuters.com/)
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