Eritrea says Somali mystery plane not from Asmara

July 27, 2006 (PARIS) — Eritrea has denied accusations that a mystery cargo plane landed in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on 26 July was carrying weapons from Eritrea to support Islamists militias as it was said by the Somali Interim government.

Yemane Gebreab, the Eritrean presidential cabinet chief told Radio France Internationale that such accusations are false and emanate from Ethiopian government.

“This is not new. Of course these accusations are totally baseless. But I am not surprised. They emanate from Ethiopia which has its own reasons”. Said Yemane. “Everybody knows that Ethiopia sent its troops to Somalia thus militarily interfering in the internal affairs of a neighbouring country in violation of international law”.

“Ethiopia wants to justify its actions by fabricating false accusations against Eritrea. It is not for us to say who should govern Somalia” he further said.

The United Nations has an arms embargo on Somalia. But it has been ignored for years, and the Horn of Africa nation of 10 million people is awash with light and heavy weaponry.

Different sources say that Eritrea supports the Somali Islamists; but the Islamic Courts have officially rejected any involvement. Eritrea is, on the contrary, accusing Ethiopia of spoiling for a fight through Somalia.

Addis Ababa, in effect, recently sent troops to assist the transitional government, an intervention that immediately raised fears of a new conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea with Somalia in the middle.

(ST)