Eritrea condemns Canada denial of visa for its foreign minister

September 11, 2008 (ASMARA) – The Eritrean government slammed yesterday the Canadian rejection to grant an entry visa to its foreign minister Osman Saleh Mohamed over his participation in the independence war against Ethiopia.

In a statement published Wednesday the Eritrean foreign ministry condemned the “provocative” denial of visa by the Canadian Counsellor in Nairobi to the minister who intended to address the Eritrean community there.

The Canadian official justified its visa refusal by stating that Osman was “a member of the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front between 1979 and 1991. The EPLF was a group that engaged in the subversion of a government by force.” Says the response letter sent to the minister.

“Canadian Federal Court jurisprudence confirms that membership in a group that attempts to subvert even a despotic government is sufficient to render inadmissibility,” indicates the Canadian Counsellor.

Osman was a member of the EPLF, which fought for more that 30 years against Ethiopian governments for the independence of Eritrea.

Eritrea has relatively good relations with Canada. Also a Canadian firm, Nevsun Resources Ltd, runs a gold and base metals mine project in the country.

Some western nations have kept former African rebels — some in power — who participated in Cold-war era freedom struggles in their terrorism watch lists despite having diplomatic ties.

In June, US lawmakers removed former South African president Nelson Mandela and his African National Congress from a three-decade old immigration watch list for possible terrorists.

(ST)