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Dear Dr.
Ronald K. McMullen, Trusting
that you would be duly confirmed to be the next Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the State of
Eritrea and as an Eritrean American who wish nothing but better understanding
between the governments of my adopted country as well as my country
of origin, let me be one of the first to welcome you to Eritrea. Sir,
you will undoubtedly find Eritrea a pleasant country with most hard
working, honest and hospitable people and, significantly, very supportive
government if it is not rubbed the wrong way. Needless
to say, lately, the working relationship between the US and Eritrea
has been at best rocky. While there has been a two-way finger pointing
at each other, I believe, it would be very prudent upon yourself to
work vigorously for the improvement of the hitherto unproductive and
acrimonious relationship that has lately being created, frankly, by
the United States lopsided, unbelievably biased and unfair posture it
has been manifesting vis-à-vis Eritrean and Ethiopian issues. While
it is tempting to place the blame for the ensuing misunderstanding on
a particular State Department official that should have known better,
suffice is to state that the burden is on you, sir, to see to it that
the true picture of Eritrea is carried over to your colleagues at the
State Department. If an excellent cooperative and mutually beneficial
relationship is to develop between the two countries, you must correct
the existing erroneous and unsubstantiated allegations that have been
unfairly labeled against Eritrea. While I do not and could not speak
for the Eritrean government, I am convinced that the Government of Eritrea
would be very receptive to any and every constrictive criticism the
US might direct against it provided such criticisms are accurate, fair
and seen in their proper context. Your
Excellency, ambassadors come and go like governments do. But, at the
end of the day, people, including ambassadors, are judged positively
if they went that extra mile to mend misunderstanding between nations
to a fruitful end and thereby placing their professional credibility
on the line. Otherwise to just be a messenger and carry on with those
“Obligations” even when those messages may be against one’s consciousness
and clearly wrong, it does not provide self-fulfillment and personal
satisfaction of a job well done. Finally,
these days, where some real terrorists are in full gear to destabilize
and do maximum damage around the world, it is imperative that the US
work closely with like-minded states to staunchly fight against this
evil doctrine for the benefit of all mankind. I am sure you are aware
that Eritrea, as one of the victims of Bin Laden criminal activity,
has been fighting tooth and nail to thwart the ugly face of terrorism
coming across some of its neighbors since its inception as a sovereign
country. It is about time that the US and Eritrea work hand and glove
on all mutually beneficial issues. There is no evil, terrorism or any
other misdeed, which could not be eradicated if countries join hands
for some common causes. But those causes have to emanate from common
understanding and value that can and must be done. You can help in that
effort in no small way. |