Eritrea issues strong démenti apropos Somalia

13 June 2006

Following is the statement of Ambassador Girmai Gebremariam of Eritrea at the Nairobi IGAD Summit today:

- A deliberate smear campaign was peddled against my country in the past few weeks as the fighting in Mogadishu intensified from certain quarters in the region as well as from without the region for a variety of reasons. In the event, let me set the record straight and underline the bedrock of the constructive policy of my Government regarding Somalia.
- During the past 15 years in which we saw our Somali brothers embroiled in tragic internal strife, Eritrea has pursued a consistent and coherent policy hinged on the following considerations:
We firmly believe that the balkanization of Somalia, the polarization of its society, and erosion of its sovereignty and territorial integrity would neither serve the primary interests of our Somali brothers nor contribute to regional peace and stability. In this respect, ah external forces that have the welfare of Somalia and the region at heart are duty bound to encourage national reconciliation and peace instead of aggravating the internal divisions of our Somali brothers. On the basis of this fundamental approach, Eritrea has never meddled in internal Somali affairs to sponsor, arm or otherwise favour one group against the other.
Eritrea has never seen Somalia as a proxy battlefield to settle scores with Ethiopia. Grave as it may be, the border conflict with Ethiopia is a bilateral dispute between the two countries that should not and cannot be catapulted to or played out in Somalia.
Countries in the region which may have had historical disputes with Somalia should not exploit the current realities to serve their narrow interests As emphasized earlier, instability and turmoil in Somalia will not only harm the welfare of the Somali people as a whole but also jeopardize, in the long-term, the stability and security of the whole Horn of Africa region.
The political solution to the myriad problems in Somalia rests, ultimately, on the Somali's themselves. The role of other players, IGAD, the African Union etc. can only be to facilitate a conducive environment for the Somalis to put their house in order.
- The mendacious accusations leveled against Eritrea in the recent weeks alleging that it has extended military support to this or that group is thus a total fabrication that goes contrary to our declared policy outlined above and proven conduct in. Some have even gone above the board to accuse Eritrea of supporting “terrorist groups” in Somalia. Eritrea's track record in combating terrorism in our region, which emanates from its own strategic perspectives and exigencies of national security, is too well known to merit elaboration here. And this fact is perfectly known to those who have chosen to peddle these lies for reasons better known to them. Shabait.com