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June 12, 2009 For Immediate Release U.S. Congress soundly rejects effort
to tar Eritrea The
Organization of Eritrean Americans (OEA) is pleased to see that the United
States House of Representatives on Wednesday June 10, 2009, overwhelmingly
rejected an amendment by California Republican Ed Royce declaring that
Eritrean support for insurgents in Somalia poses a direct threat to U.S.
national security, and calling for Eritrea to be designated a state sponsor
of terrorism. The OEA again expresses profound dismay
that this ill-advised effort to link Eritrea to terrorism is still being
pursued by lobbyists working for the minority regime of Ethiopia. But it is heartening
to see that the new Congress used sound judgment in making a decision that
can only create opportunities for better diplomatic relations between the
United States and Eritrea, and for peace and stability in the Horn of Africa. OEA would
like to thank the efforts of Congressman Donald Payne who traveled to the
region and saw for himself that Eritrea is not involved in any type of
terrorism and is a key player in the effort to bring about peace in the
region. We would also like to thank the other members of the House of
Representatives who rejected the amendment which was based on what
Congressman Payne described as information that was “factually wrong and
dated.” We hope Congressman Royce will get a chance to travel to the region
to see firsthand the complex issues that define this volatile part of Africa
and, most importantly, to devise ways to bring about peace in this strategic
region at the southern flank of the Middle East. Eritrea has been fighting terrorism since long before
September 11, 2001. It has
also proven over and over that it has nothing to do with the chaos in Somalia
and has only expressed its interest in seeing Somalis solving their own
problems. The UN’s Special Representative to Somalia, Mr. Ahmedou
Ould-Abdallah, has been quoted as saying as late as May 30, 2009, that there
was no proof that shows Eritrea’s involvement in Somalia. In line with
its wishes for 2009 expressed in a press release earlier this year, the OEA
once again requests that a major change in the direction of U.S. policy for
the Horn of Africa is a must in order to bring stability to the Horn of
Africa region. OEA believe that a short-sighted policy for the Horn
jeopardizes long-term U.S. interests in the region, and even the rest of the
continent. The OEA, which has
been working to build US-Eritrea relations, again welcomes the opportunity to
work with the new Administration to repair relations between the two nations
soured by the outgoing Administration and its failed policies for the Horn of Africa that are threatening to destabilize the
entire region.
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