Djibouti says France to send ships over Eritrea clash

DJIBOUTI, June 16 / 2008 (Reuters)

 Djibouti says French warships will arrive off its coast in coming days after the tiny Red Sea state clashed with neighbouring Eritrea last week, killing a dozen Djiboutian soldiers and wounding dozens.

Djiboutian Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf said the situation had calmed after several days’ fighting last week in a border area overlooking strategic Red Sea shipping lanes.

“France will send warships in the coming days to the Ras Doumeira area … our forces remain vigilant,” he told reporters at the weekend.

In Paris, the Defence Ministry said three French ships were in the region, two of which — a helicopter carrier and a frigate — had reached Djibouti’s territorial waters.

“For the moment, their mission is to provide logistical, medical and intelligence support — there is no participation in combat,” armed forces spokesman Christophe Prazuck told Reuters.

France has one of its largest overseas military bases in Djibouti and also signed a mutual defence pact following Djibouti’s independence in 1977. Paris has said its military provided logistics, especially medical support, to the Djiboutian army during the clashes with Eritrea.

Eritrea has neither confirmed nor denied the clashes, but says Djibouti is waging an “anti-Eritrea” campaign. It has given no details of any Eritrean casualties.

The Djiboutian foreign minister added: “The messages we are sending the Eritrean government are strong enough to make Eritrea understand that if new aggression happens, the consequences will be severe.”

The United States also has a military base in Djibouti.

Washington, the United Nations, the Arab League, the African Union, and the east African inter-governmental group IGAD, have all condemned the clashes. (Reporting by Omar Hassan; additional reporting by Brian Rohan in Paris, Editing by Jack Kimball) (For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://africa.reuters.com/ )

Mr Gerahtu, the Eritrean Ambassador to the UK & Ireland, on the 17th anniversary speech with some of the questions.

 

 By. Ligali eguality for afrcican peopil

16/06/08

On May 24 we attended a press briefing by Mr Gerahtu, the Eritrean Ambassador to the UK & Ireland, on the 17th anniversary of their independence from Ethiopia. Also in attendance was the Eritrean Minister of Tourism who was in Britain promoting the heritage of Eritrea. After the briefing there was a dinner followed by a night-time concert. Below is the Ambassador’s speech with some of the questions.

INTRODUCTION
This is an important occasion for us as a nation and people in a nation building process as independence symbolizes sacrifices made for the basic values of liberation, freedom and democracy. This briefing will thus highlight four dimensions related to the challenges of the nation building process in Eritrea.

• Issues of sovereignty and the consolidation of our independence

• Political Process of Nation building

• Growth and Development strategies and the bright prospects

• Foreign and International relations

ISSUE OF SOVEREIGNTY AND THE CONSOLIDATION OF INDEPENDENCE
Four issues are raised when seen from the sustenance of peace, security and development.

• There is no border dispute between Eritrea and Ethiopia at present: it is resolved and finished and implies that there is no political and legal justification for a TSZ and UN peace keeping now.

• The issue at hand now is Ethiopia’s occupation of Eritrean territories.

• In light of the above, normalization of relations, can only happen on the basis of mutual respect and compliance to international law.

• In this situation the role and the responsibilities of the UN and its Security Council is only to take action on Ethiopia and respect Eritrea’s sovereignty.

Eritrea believes these issues have implication to sustenance of international law, inviolability of colonial treaties and boundaries and to the promotion of peace & security in the Horn of Africa Region.

THE CONSOLIDATION OF THE POLITICAL PROCESS OF NATION BUILDING There are four dimensions in the political process vital for strengthening nationalism and national interests.

• In past few years Eritrea has foiled all conspiracies which targeted the harmony, determination and the unity of people under all sorts of cover including human rights, religion, democracy, etc. There are no problems of human rights, freedom of religion, and democracy of Eritrea.

• Despite the challenges created by war and external interventions the strengthening governance has always kept its momentum and has always reflected the basic values of our struggle and nation building.

- Effort stepped up to strengthen grassroots democratic process
- Strengthening the political philosophy of owning our own decisions
- Refining pragmatic policies
- Strengthening the institutional capacities and structures of the government agencies and the public sector
- Devolving authority to regional administrations
- Fight against corruption

• In the last five years much importance has also been given to the development of national laws and the justice system in the country. Refinement to finalize all National Laws is going on successfully.

Eritrea has thus proven to be the most peaceful and stable country. The effort to promote growth has also been part of this equation.

GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES: THE BRIGHT PROSPECTS
• The post-war revitalization programme called Warsay-Yikealo underway in Eritrea since 2003 has been the centerpiece of a collective act with the main goal being social justice and encompassed growth in the economy and effective social sector strategy. Growth and development has been based on the following principles:

- equity and provision of equal opportunity for all
- human betterment
- sustainability
- strengthening self reliance
- decisiveness of the human factor

Against All odds promising growth has been registered in six major dimensions.

- Growth entailed the transformation of the national capacity. Among other things this encompassed the greater mobilization of local resources and its organization into effective institutions and enterprises of productivity. The role of the national defence forces in all sectors in this respect is very high.

- This has been substantiated by a process of structural transformation in order to create macro economic stability. Critical areas in this respect have been food security, raising export, import substitution, controlling trade balance deficit and foreign investment. There is a promising start in FDI but still requires effort.

- Tremendous efforts at improving the quality of life have also been made. The successive social sector strategy, where the biggest part of public investment is devoted, has been instrumental in addressing the basic tenets of poverty in Eritrea. Four major areas have been addressed here: food security, health security, environmental security and social security.

- The growth achieved in Eritrea would have not been real however if Eritrea has not invested significantly in economic infrastructure (hardware).

- Eritrea has also succeeded in maximizing its Comparative advantages for growth and development. Three important targets have taken much attention so far: coastal development, export free zone and tourism.

- Human factor in growth and development has been targeted through the reform and expansion of the national education system and the rapid expansion of the tertiary education system in Eritrea.

FOREIGN AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- Eritrea has followed a clear foreign relations policy and a pragmatic approach despite the adverse realities and hostilities by some corners

- The bilateral relation and cooperation is also diverse and based on the principle of partnership (diplomatic relations at Ambassadorial level with 32 countries, 6 at Consular level and 5 at Honorary Consul level. Together with non-resident ambassadors, diplomatically represented in more than 70 countries).

- Eritrea’s relation with the USA has become an issue only because of Eritrea’s position on many of the wrong policies that the USA pursues especially as far as it concerns Eritrea and the Horn of Africa Region is based on the principles of peace, non-interference and respect to international law.

- Eritrea’s political and moral support to Somalia has not come as a reaction to the bad relations we have with Ethiopia or as an anger to the USA position on the boundary. We support the efforts of the Somalis to reconstitute their nation and promote peace. We similarly do not also support the interferences in the Darfur issue which is solely meant to complicate the problems there. Eritrea has always worked to support our Sudanese brothers to solve their problems by themselves and we will continue our efforts towards that goal however our capacity limited.

- Let me finally raise Eritrea’s views on international bodies and in particular the UN, AU and IGAD. We respect the UN as an international body however ineffective it might be in many ways. The UN’s responsibility in implementing the final and binding decision however has been compromised under the influence of the USA. Similarly the AU also has not taken its responsibility seriously. We have also suspended our membership of IGAD because we do not want to be party to illegal and destructive decisions influenced by the USA and Ethiopia.

CONCLUSIONS
The post-war revitalization programme Warsay-Yikealo underway in Eritrea since 2003 has demonstrated that Eritrea is on the right path and that essential features of dynamic transformation are in place. The process has to be seen within the bounds of time and space for the consummation of the nation building process. Nevertheless the future is bright but challenges are tremendous. That is what the independence anniversary brings to the fore: “United resistance as a guarantee for our independence and sustained growth!”

Thank You!
MR Gerahtu,
Eritrean Ambassador to the UK & Ireland

Q&A
Nubiart asked the Ambassador the first question. Is the government’s strategy of basing economic growth on increased use of the ports of Massawa and Assab contradicted by the fact that none of the neighbouring countries will use the ports due to either bad relations or having their own ports?

The Ambassador replied that we need to see beyond the present crises and relations when we talk about growth and development. He felt it would act towards promoting regional peace as globalisation is a fact that countries have to deal with. He added that the people of the region are determined to work together and trade irrespective of government policies.

Lib Dem President Simon Hughes asked about the lack of multi-party democracy, the move from transitional government and the freedom of the press.

The Ambassador replied that the Eritrean constitution allows pluralism in the political process but multi-party is not the only way to democracy so long as elections are held. The need is to establish a reliable process of nation-building without destabilising the harmony, unity and values that they fought for. He highlighted the recent political upheavals in Kenya as something they would like to avoid as they establish democratic institutions. “Free fair elections take place at grassroots level to establish the local councils…We have more than 683 community magistrates in Eritrea elected from the people.”

There are local and regional level assemblies and the national level structure needs to be grow from that. On the freedom of the press the print media was not monitored during the 1990s. During the period in the run-up to the 1998-2000 war with Ethiopia the government reassessed the role of the media and considered that some were destabilising the country and a threat to national security being financed by outside agencies. “It’s not about the press. It’s about the survival and future of a nation that paid their prices and also paid an opportunity cost to come to this stage.” He rounded off by saying that the government media is very active and people participate freely without any fear of speaking their minds.

Another person asked if Eritrea was more democratic than Ethiopia?

The Ambassador replied that he would leave the question for the Ethiopian ambassador. He felt that the portrayal of democracy does not take into account the needs of developing countries. Ethiopia had elections where people were killed in the streets and arrested on various charges. Nation-building must allow the participation of the people from the grassroots.

The briefing ended with a performance of some of the dances and songs from the nine ethnic cultural groups in Eritrea and a patriotic song from Makda

10th Ordinary Session of CEN-SAD opens today in Benin

Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Ghana

16/06/08

The Foreign Minister, Akwasi Osei Adjei, left Accra last night for Cotonou, Benin as head of Ghana’s delegation to the 10th Ordinary Session of the Summit of the Community of Sahel-Sahara States, CEN-SAD which opens today. The Foreign Minister who is representing the President at the 4 day summit would present Ghana’s statement on the current global food and energy crisis and the role that CEN-SAD could play to mitigate their effects on member countries.

Ghana joined the 25-member organizations in 2005 as part of her foreign policy goal to integrate the country firmly within her neighbouring region in the spirit of good neighbourliness and economic diplomacy. Since joining the group, a branch of the CEN-SAD bank has already been opened in Accra.  

The Executive Council Meeting of CEN-SAD which precedes the summit will among other things discuss the political and security situation in a number of member countries especially Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Somalia and Sudan.  While in Cotonou, the Foreign Minister will unveil a plague to inaugurate the newly constructed chancery of the Ghana embassy in Benin.  The delegation is expected back home on Thursday.