Eritrea calls UN sanction as “brazen act”

By Tesfa Alem Tekle

December 24, 2009 (ADDIS ABABA) — Eritrea has denounced UN sanctions imposed yesterday describing it as shameful, unjustified. Asmara further accused the UN body being a platform for the united states to perpetrate ‘‘injustices’’ against the people and government of Eritrea.

“This brazen act is neither based on fact nor on the provisions of international law,” said a statement Eritrea’s ministry of foreign affairs on Thursday. “It constitutes a travesty of justice and amplifies the dangers inherent in a unipolar world” it added.

The accusation comes after the UN Security Council on Wednesday voted a resolution drafted by Uganda.

In a fierce reaction to the imposed sanction, the tiny red sea nation has mainly pointed its fingers at Uganda but also at the United States and Britain calling the countries as “sponsors of the resolution for purposes of deceitful packaging.”

Eritrea has also accused the united states of using the UN Security Council to conjure up sanctions against whoever is considered to stand in its way.

Further, Eritrea has denied accusations of being a destabilizing factor in Somalia by arming and supporting Islamist militants in Somalia; instead it has held the United States responsible for instability in Somalia.

“The United States is mostly responsible for the mayhem and suffering that is bedevilling Somalia today” the statement said.

In a similar reaction, an Eritrean Ambassador, Araya Desta has denounced the UN action saying ‘‘shameful resolution based on fabricated lies mainly concocted by Ethiopia and the US administration’’

In a press conference later today the Ethiopian Prime minister said that his country supports the UN resolution and he hailed it saying a first step to cripple Eritrea’s destabilizing nature in the region.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi believed that as a first step, the action taken by UN against Eritrea is “fair”.

However, Zenawi said he was surprised by Libya; the current chairman of Africa Union voting against the UN resolution which he said was against the union’s collective stand.

The UN Security Council on Wednesday slapped Eritrea with an arms embargo for allegedly supporting an Islamic insurgent movement in Somalia and for refusing to withdraw from occupied territories of Djibouti.

The resolution also imposes travel ban on country’s top political and military officials and freezes their assets.

The resolution was supported by 13 of the 15 members of the UN Security Council. China, one of the permanent member countries of the council abstained from voting while Libya voted against the resolution.

(ST)