Eritrea criticises Tony Blair’s visits to Ethiopia, Sudan

ASMARA, Oct 6 (AFP) — Eritrea on Wednesday criticised British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s visits this week to Ethiopia and Sudan, saying the trip was “insulting Africa’s intelligence”.

Blair’s visit to Ethiopia is “insulting Africa’s intelligence” because Addis Ababa “refuses to abide by the law”, Eritrean Information Minister Ali Abdu Ahmed told AFP in an interview in Asmara.

The Ethiopian government in September 2003 rejected a ruling made by the independent Ethiopia-Eritrea Border Commissionan (EEBC), which demarcated the two countries’ common border after they fought each other between 1998 and 2000.

In 2000, they signed a peace accord under which they promised to respect the EEBC’s demarcation.

Blair’s visit to Addis Ababa “is a good example of how some big powers look at Africa,” Abdu said, adding: “Shame on Prime Minister Blair.”

The British prime minister’s visit to Khartoum was also a “shame” because Sudan is “a very dangerous country with a big background of terrorism”.

Khartoum accuses Asmara of giving material support to rebels in Darfur, a region in western Sudan where the Sudanese government and allied Janjaweed militia are currently fighting the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebels.

Eritrea has strongly rejected the accusation.