Press Release
US AID Pledges Humanitarian Assistance to Eritrea

President Isaias Afwerki received today, Friday, 24 March, Mr. Hugh Parmer, Assistant Administrator of US Agency for International Development (AID), who is on a tour of the Horn of Africa region to assess humanitarian needs resulting from drought and conflict.

Mr. Parmer told President Isaias that, from his visits to camps of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Eritrea, he was "highly impressed by the excellent job that the Government of Eritrea has accomplished with meager resources to alleviate the humanitarian needs of those affected by war." As a result, there was no "humanitarian crisis in the camps although the situation remained precarious requiring an assured flow of relief assistance." US AID was consequently pledging 40,000 metric tonnes of food aid and 1.8 million US dollars of assistance in non-food items.

President Isaias expressed Eritrea's appreciation for the humanitarian mission undertaken by Mr. Parmer to the region and thanked him for the pledges of assistance to Eritrea made on the occasion of his visit. President Isaias further expressed the hope that US AID cooperation will remain at the requisite levels which had not, unfortunately, been the case in the past two years.

Mr. Parmer inquired whether Eritrea would allow the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Ethiopia through the port of Assab in view of the grave famine situation looming over the drought-stricken southern parts of the country and relative geographic proximity of the port of Assab. President Isaias assured Mr. Parmer that Eritrea would not, in principle, object to the proposal because of its moral obligation to assist in the international relief efforts to prevent a human catastrophe. This would however require an appropriate arrangement by the international community in a situation of a simmering conflict. Eritrea would further request clear guarantees that the humanitarian assistance reaches the intended beneficiaries and is not, otherwise, diverted by the regime for its war purposes.

Mr. Parmer arrived in Eritrea on Wednesday, 22 March. He visited camps for displaced persons in southern Eritrea and met with the Commissioner of ERREC and other government officials.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Asmara, 24 March 2000