Eritrean president says won’t promise ground for political opponents
By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
February 24, 2010 (ADDIS ABABA) – Eritrean President Issayas Afeworki said that his government will never promise to create a democratic ground to any political party intending to confront his rule.
In contradiction to the above remarks, the president however said that his country, Eritrea is the leading democratic nation in the African continent.
“I don’t promise to any one, there is not a commodity called democracy,” he said.
“There is not a democratic commodity promised to people by one country.”
The remarks were made in a rare interview he conducted with Aljazeera where he was confronted to react in to a number of international allegations considered as threat to global peace.
A UN report indicates that 63,000 Eritreans fled country in the year 2009 alone. The Eritrean leader however dismissed the UN report calling it as pure lies.
Responding to the over growing fleeing of citizens to neighboring countries and also to the Eritrean Athletes that sought refuge in Kenya he said:
“These are lies. I haven’t heard anything like that; it doesn’t any way bother me that these Eritreans are seeking asylum in the US, EU or other countries looking for job.”
According to studies, with international aid to the red sea nation being shut, two-third of the country’s population is affected by food shortages.
Despite this fact, Afeworki has stressed that people of his country doesn’t need any flow of foreign aid.
“Why do people want to spoon-feed us while we have enough food,” he said adding “how can you possibly imagine and say you are hungry while I am not.”
President Issayas Afeworki has also denied allegations of arming Hamas, Somalia’s Al-Shabab, Sudan’s JEM, and Houthis in Yemen.
“This is a deliberate distortion of facts without providing evidence. It is a Total fabrication. Where is your evidence?”
Responding to ties with Iran he said “We have enough weapons. We can arm three, four governments. Why do we need weapons from Iran?”
Lat December the UN security council imposed sanctions on Eritrea accusing Asmara of arming, training and supporting Islamist insurgent group in Somalia. Sanctions include an arms embargo, freeze on asset and travel ban to military officials of the country.
(ST)