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INTERVIEW-Eritrea is not Kenya’s enemy, says envoy

* Eritrea denies funneling weapons to al Shabaab * Kenya says Eritrea should denounce Islamist rebels * Eritrea blames old foe Ethiopia for "fabrication" By Richard Lough NAIROBI, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Eritrea has no interest in weakening Kenya

* Eritrea denies funneling weapons to al Shabaab

* Kenya says Eritrea should denounce Islamist rebels

* Eritrea blames old foe Ethiopia for “fabrication”

By Richard Lough

NAIROBI, Nov 12 (Reuters) – Eritrea has no interest in weakening Kenya or harming its soldiers by supplying weapons to the al Qaeda-linked rebels Kenya is fighting in neighbouring Somalia, Eritrea’s envoy to Nairobi said on Saturday.

Kenya has accused Eritrea of flying weapons into Somalia for the Islamist al Shabaab insurgents, who have been fighting the Western-backed government in the Horn of Africa nation since 2007, and are now battling Kenyan forces in the south.

“These are ghost flights,” Eritrea’s ambassador to Kenya, Beyene Russom, told Reuters. “What do we gain by strengthening al Shabaab and weakening Kenya? We don’t want Kenyan troops to be harmed. We’re not Kenya’s enemy.”

Kenya says it has credible information that consignments of arms were flown to the Somali town of Baidoa and has pointed the finger at Eritrea, a charge Asmara has repeatedly denied.

Kenyan Colonal Cyrus Oguna told a news conference in Nairobi on Saturday the weapons consisted of shoulder-fired rockets, grenades and small arms munitions. He said they had been moved to areas in southern and central Somalia.

Kenya, the region’s biggest economy, sent troops into its anarchic neighbour last month to rout the insurgents it blames for kidnappings of Western aid workers and tourists on Kenyan soil, and frequent cross-border incursions.

Al Shabaab has denied responsibility for the seizures.

DON’T DENY, DENOUNCE

The U.N. has slapped an arms embargo on Eritrea, as well as a travel ban and an asset freeze on political and military leaders who it says are violating an arms embargo on Somalia.

The U.N. Security Council is expected to review calls for tighter sanctions against Eritrea later this month.

Eritrea’s envoy said all allegations about its support for al Shabaab should be viewed through the prism of its long-standing enmity with Ethiopia, and blamed Addis Ababa for peddling rumours about its support for the rebels.

The neighbours fought a brutal war that ended in 2000 but there is still a festering border dispute.

“This long history of allegations against Eritrea is Ethiopia’s fabrication. They want the world to forget their occupation of Eritrean territory and they want to weaken the government,” said Beyene.

A U.N.-founded boundary commission ruled the disputed territory belonged to Eritrea. It remains in Ethiopian hands.

“We are trying to clear our name against all these allegations in the U.N. Security Council. We are not being given the right to defend ourselves,” he said.

An official at Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday Eritrean denials of sending arms to al Shabaab were not enough.

“It may not be sufficient for the state of Eritrea to deny these allegations. It is important that they go a step further and even denounce the activities of al Shabaab,” Lindsay Kiptiness, deputy director at the Horn of Africa division at the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

“We are still trying to engage the state of Eritrea to ensure that they are on our side with regard to these operations inside Somalia,” he said, adding the Eritrean foreign minister was due to visit Nairobi next week.

Kenya’s ministers have been touring the region in the past week to bolster support for its incursion into Somalia. They have visited Djibouti, Ethiopia, Uganda and Burundi.

Kiptiness said Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula was also visiting Arab countries, such as Oman and United Arab Emirates, that have supported Somalia’s transitional government. (Additional reporting and writing by David Clarke; Editing by Sophie Hares)

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Review overview
18 COMMENTS
  • Dawit November 12, 2011

    Here is what Mr. Beyene has to say in the report ““We are trying to clear our name against all these allegations in the U.N. Security Council. We are not being given the right to defend ourselves” . Emphasis is mine.

    Can you see any double standard in what Beyene HGDF has to say? Obviously, you can. Beyene and his Bosses in Asmara have never given the political, religious, and other prisoners the basic right “to clear [their] names against all [PFDJ’s] allegations”

    Why are now HGDF complaining of their rights while in the same breadth deny Eritreans the same basic right ?

    HGDF does not deserve a right to voice its concerns until it gives the same right to Eritreans who are in prison

    • Zekhtam Eritrawi November 12, 2011

      Dawit,

      Brilliant!!!

    • Weldit November 12, 2011

      I am so glad that the “We are not being given the right to defend ourselves” is coming back to haunt the regime.
      The G-15, the journalists, and many other Eritreans have been saying that in their prison cells for so long.
      What goes around, comes around.

  • haile November 12, 2011

    Hi PFDJ supporters

    I am more than happy for the sutuation, between Kenya and PFDJ.
    It is time for PFDJ to give up power or they will suffer like libyan former leader.

  • GHEZAI November 12, 2011

    Dawit
    you say it all. you are smart, there is a say. what gose around comes around .never niel down slagon
    is not working FOR HGD. they shoud change it to.were is the evidence I wil denied it

  • Hagerawi November 12, 2011

    This is a dangerous situation for for our country Eritrea. We strongly oppose the existing authoritarian regime as it is responsible for the present crisis and sufferings of Eritreans. However, the situation goes beyond the support of Alshabab. It is planned by monopoly capitalism to ruin Eritrea as a country and split the nations in to peaces due to the fact that the USA and its allays could not swallow the independence of Eritrea. The mission of executing the plan of Action is given to Ethiopia and Kenya who are the servants of the super powers. Therefore, it is obvious that we Eritreans need to overthrow the existing authoritarian regime soon or letter but the change should be initiated and executed by Eritreans not by Eritreans who are messengers of Ethiopia or super powers whose dreams are always the Red Sea.

  • Robel November 12, 2011

    It is ironic…no one accuse HGDEF of wanting to weaken Kenya. No one talked about Enmty with Kenya. They are trying to twist the truth which is they are using Alshabab as proxies against Ethiopia, even if it is against the interest of Eritrea. They think that by trying to show that they are not enemies of Kenya, people will believe them their denials of distabilizing the region. That is a clear Falacy…may be it seems very conviencing to their Supporters…But in this world there are more people smarter than their supporters…It is soooo surprising that they have no clue on how diplomatic relationships work…Am sorry that Eritrea is being led by such incapable, weak and stupid people…Hope that this era would be studied and used as a threshold for the next generation to build a much better Eritrea.

  • GHEZAI November 12, 2011

    sorry for spelling i meant HGDF And. where is ……….will….

  • Kemal November 12, 2011

    If PFDJ knows they have the right to defend them selves, how could they forget about other people’s rights. They should first respect others right to ask for their rights, other wise they will face the same sward they use to cut others heard.
    Peace !!

    • zemen beraki November 12, 2011

      The Isayas regime will always deny and deny! it never ever aknowledged any mistake or folly in its history. This is because it’s structure is always based on lies and conspiracies. If a regime hides the truth from its people how can it tell the truth to others?? this is logically impossible and impractical. The regime even denies that it has political prisoners! period!! Anybody in his senses can ever trust this brutal regime that claims to have the trust and confidence of its people. If the regime has the trust of its people, it must let them talk their mind!!!

  • CRYFREEDOM November 12, 2011

    I AGREE WITH DAWIT , YOU HAVE ALLREADY SAYED IT. NO U TURN FOR PFDJ ANYMORE ,IT IS TOO LATE.THE GAME IS OVER.

  • Selamawi November 12, 2011

    PFDJ has to learn the conventional wisdom: rule of law. Rule of law does guarantee weak/disadvantaged/voiceless persons, entities…and countries.
    When the PFDJ is violation most or all of the conventional rules, it is absurd for them to demand it from the union of nations.

    They did not give the opportunity to clear his name when they defamed their old orator Minister Haile Woldentensae – Durue- when they accused him of “aTelaQiyomna” and put him incommunicado for over 10 years. Same with his respected colleagues, the G15; the many Tegadelti, the many Gebar, the Christians including priests and pastors, and the Muslims… And the horrendous systematic abuse of the young generation which is now rebelling against them under the mantra of SIMERRR!!!!!!!!!!

    Please, PFDJ supporters learn from your mistakes and change your attitude towards the concept of the RULE OF LAW. Laws are made for all not for few. It is only when all of us are equal in front of the law that we can claim greatness in our country, culture, religion, region….And not when we are lead by primitive and barbaric practices and cavalier attitude towards the rule of law.

    Thanks

  • PFDJ Amnesia November 12, 2011

    PFDJistas are a bunch of liars that will say anything to deceive the world. They don’t believe in what they say they just say it when they are cornered and have no escape valve. All they care is how get out their ugly predicamentr and then continue the status quo. That is the motto of their God father el capo Isaias as certainly he doesn’t care if the grass grows again as long as he appends a year, a month, a week, a day to his ill gotten power grab of Eritreaand contine to oppress the poor Ertireans He is now testing the reaction by hoodwinking his demented followers by indicating afterall the Constitution will be implemented in the near futureif it weren’t for Ethiopia’ s border war bla..bla, Mark my word he has not plan in doing so; at least to a plain field where his vote will be just one vote out of the 3 million plus voters in Eritrea. When the heat gets too hot he will try to deceive everyone by implementing a sham election ala Meles his cousin. Monkey is begging his boss after a bottle of areki between them we need to come with a strategy in cooling this dangerous situation or we will end up like Tunisia, our benefactor Maumar Gaddafi, or Moubarak. Let clear the river’s way before the flood sweeps us away. Too late Monkey. Brainwashing the Eritrean kids in the west is not a good strategy; all these kids want is fun..fun.

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