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 US:
Regime change may help Eritrea
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Dr.Abdullahi Mohamed (Deputy Editor Geeska Afrika
Online)
Djibouti (HAN) September 10, 2007
Full Comment: write- Geeska Afrika Online at:
news@geeskaafrika.com or han@geeskaafrika.com
2007
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US:
Regime change may help Eritrea
Djibouti (HAN) September 10, 2007 - U.S Assistant
Secretary of State for African Affairs, Jendayi E.Frazer said
yesterday that regime change can help Eritrea avoid going into
the US list of ''State Sponsor of Terrorism'' amid Eritrea's
continuing and growing associations with international
terrorists.
''To get off the State Sponsor Terrorism list requires two
things: the change of government or that for at least six months
you can document that a country has no longer been supporting
terrorists,'' she pointed out.
Briefing the press about the purpose of her recent visit to
Ethiopia and Uganda, which she said was primarily to discuss
issues around Somalia, Jendayi Frazer said US will put sanctions
on Eritrea whether it is on the list or not.
The Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs also gave a
stark warning to the Eritrean government to stop its
destabilizing role in the Horn and East Africa as well as
harboring international terrorists, which is the second option
to get away from officially being known as a terror state.
According to her, the second option requires, even after being
designated as state sponsor of terrorism, at least six months of
no longer harboring, arming, training and financing
terrorists--acts Eritrea has repeatedly been accused of in areas
from Somalia, Sudan, Djibouti and Ethiopia all the way to Sri
Lanka.
''...We are continuing to gather information and evidence…but
clearly the fact that Eritrea is providing sanctuary to
terrorists, best illustrated by the report that Hassan Daher
Hawes was in Asmara and he is designated by the US and UN
Security Council for his association with al-Qaieda. So he is a
designated terrorist attending the conference in Asmara that’s
supported by the government….so the linkage is quite
significant,” she elaborated.
Asked whether the US government would take actions to stop the
growing involvement of Eritrea in international terrorist
networks before the former designates the later as state sponsor
terrorism, Frazer said ''yes we will, definitely''.
According to the US Department of State, the four main
categories of sanctions resulting from designation of State
Sponsor of Terrorism include restrictions on U.S. foreign
assistance, a ban on defense exports and sales, certain controls
over exports of dual use items, and miscellaneous financial and
other restrictions.
Designation as State Sponsor of Terrorism also implicates other
sanctions laws that penalize persons and countries engaging in
certain trade with state sponsors.
Meanwhile, Frazer said reports that Ethiopian defense forces
have been attacking civilians in Ethiopia’s Somali State are
just allegations with no evidence so far, further confirming
Ethiopian government’s repeated claims that such reports are
baseless.
With regard to talks with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on
situations in the state ,she said essentially ''...the
insurgency, that is the ONLF and how it relates to what is
taking place in Somalia (Mogadishu) …….and connections with
Eritrea and how we can work together to try to cut off those
associations…'' were discussed.
The Assistant Secretary of State further said Ethiopia has the
right to defend its peoples, national security and territorial
integrity from such destabilizing forces' associations
stretching from Eritrea through the self acclaimed ONLF and OLF
to the insurgents in Mogadishu, Somalia.
The Geeska Afrika Magazine Sources: HAN staff in
Khartoum
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