AGE Deplores UNSC Resolution 2023
Press Release – 14 December 2011

Following an extraordinary meeting of its board members on 11 December 2011, the Action Group for Eritrea (AGE) has hereby resolved to issue this press release in response to the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2023 of 5 December 2011 against the State of Eritrea.

Aware of the political pull and push factors within the Security Council, including the economic and political motives of some members of the Security Council;

Convinced that unfair and unjust sanctions will only make the volatile regional situation worse and that those whose rights will be abused as a result of the sanctions will rise to defend themselves as Eritrea’s history of the last 60 years testifies;

Bearing in mind the repeated historic abuse that the people of Eritrea have been subjected to in the hands of the United Nations Security Council;

Cognizant that the Somalia series of crises will not be solved by alienating Eritrea;

Reassured that Eritrea is neither interested nor able to destabilise Somalia, much less to the extent that it stands accused of, and having found no credible evidence in the report of the Eritrea Somalia Monitoring Group to suggest that Eritrea is responsible for any of the accusations leveled;

Establishing that the allegations against Eritrea are baseless and fabricated and taking note of:

a) the statement made by the Russian Ambassador that the Security Council was not given sufficient proof of Eritrea’s alleged plot to attack the African Union summit in Addis Ababa and that they were not impressed by the content of the Monitoring Group....and to include such grave accusation with no special information is not a “proper attitude”.
b) the statement of South African Ambassador to the UN that the Monitoring Group report was inconclusive.

Agreeing with the hints given by the South African Ambassador to the UN that the Monitoring Group did not execute its responsibilities and mandate with “professionalism, impartiality and objectivity” and that the Group could have been influenced by “political considerations outside their mandate”;

Taking note of the statement made by the UN Ambassador to China with respect to the rush to vote which led to the resolution failing “to reflect major and legitimate concerns” and the immaturity and lack of diligent adherence to legal process;

Recalling that the Monitoring Group made false allegations against Eritrea in the past, including the accusation of Eritrea sending 2000 army personnel to Somalia, which were later proved to be false and the fact that the UN Sanctions Committee has identified Ethiopia and AMISON as the sources of 80% of the weapons under the control of Somali insurgents;

Thankful to Wikileaks for revealing the statements made by American diplomats and others which include:

a) the blatant hostility of the US government towards Eritrea
b) that the Eritrean involvement in Somalia was “insignificant” and “not critically important”,
c) bombs that exploded in the Djibouti Railway Line and Addis Ababa could be the work of the Ethiopian government,
d) confirmed the existence of the “long arm of Ethiopia” behind the sanctions initiatives
e) Ethiopia’s encouragement of Djibouti to escalate the already resolved border issue between Eritrea and Djibouti and the call by the French for international community to defuse the situation and not agitate Djibouti further;

Knowing full well that Ethiopia is the prime source of instability in the whole region as attested by its invasion of Somalia and continued illegal occupation of Eritrean territory and recognising that Ethiopia is the main architect of the lies and misrepresentation made against Eritrea to cover its crime;

Noting that Eritrea was denied its right guaranteed under the UN Charter to be heard and to defend itself, and that the Eritrean President’s request to speak in front of the Security Council was for all practical purposes turned down;

Convinced that the sanctions were pushed with the sole intention of weakening Eritrea militarily and crippling its economy to subject the people of Eritrea to abject misery and poverty;

Concerned by UNSC’s failure to force Ethiopia to accept and implement the final and binding verdict of the Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission;

Troubled also by UNSC’s neglect of its responsibility to pressure Ethiopia to comply with UN Security Council resolutions expressly forbidding military involvement of frontline or neighboring states in Somalia;

Shocked by the drama surrounding the rush to punish Eritrea and the way in which neighbouring countries were unashamedly paraded and made to gang up against a small nation to present their cases in what can only be described as a Kangaroo Court;

Appalled by the blatant abuse of power and the vengeful character exhibited by the American Ambassador, Dr. Susan Rice, to victimise the people of Eritrea;
We hereby,

Reject the sanctions in its entirety as lacking due process, as being based on unsubstantiated allegations and devoid of any sense of justice or fairness;

Condemn the UNSC for allowing itself to be used as an instrument for individual envoys and their countries to settle old scores or promote selfish political agenda and for failing in its duty to protect a small nation against unjustified hostility in direct contradiction of its Charter;

Condemn the Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group for producing an unprofessional report that lacks credible evidence and objectivity, and calls on the Security Council to appoint new independent group of experts with credibility and integrity;

Deplore the reckless and irresponsible action of the US Ambassador, Dr. Susan Rice, in bringing the UNSC into disrepute for no other reason but to avenge a personal grudge against the President of Eritrea;

Call on members of the Security Council to uphold the very principles that the United Nations was created for;

Call on members of the Security Council to compel Ethiopia to accept and implement the verdict of the Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission and withdraw its forces from sovereign Eritrean territory;

Call on the government of Eritrea to take appropriate measures to further strengthen the unity of the Eritrean people to challenge such blatant miscarriage of justice;

Express our readiness to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people and government of Eritrea to defend the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Eritrea that is rooted in our heavy sacrifices;

Age@eritrea.co.uk