Ethiopia denies sending arms to Somalia
MOGADISHU, Somali, May 10, 2005 (Radio Shabeelle) — A written statement released today by the Ethiopian embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, has refuted accusations by Somali MPs who earlier today said Ethiopia had sent arms to Somalia. Our reporter Muhammad Yusuf has the details:
The statement by the Ethiopian embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, comes hot on the heels of a news conference today by some MPs and government officials who accused the Ethiopian government of sending arms to the Bay and Bakool regions.
An embassy official described the claims as baseless and said the claims were often repeated by individuals who were trying to harm the relations between Somalia and Ethiopia.
He said he was not aware of any arms sent to Somalia and that his country was trying to ensure that Somalia was back on its feet. He said the claims were meant to discredit Ethiopia.
He said he had seen no evidence of a single bullet sent by Ethiopia to Somalia and that those MPs claiming that Ethiopia was sending arms to Somalia should give proof.
The Ethiopian official said Ethiopia was one of the countries that had participated in the Somali reconciliation conference and would not favour a section of the Somali people.
Today, some MPs and members of the Somali government in Kenya accused the Ethiopian government of supplying arms to Somalia. They said Ethiopia was involved in a plot to rekindle fighting in the Bay and Bakool regions.
Material provided by the BBC Monitoring Service.