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Asmara,
Eritrea, December 26, 2009 – Eritrea has labeled UN sanctions imposed on
Wednesday as shameful, and denied allegations that it arms Islamist
militants in Somalia.
Eritrea's UK ambassador Tesfamichael Gerahtu told the BBC that the
sanctions were illegal and would only worsen the problems in the Horn of
Africa.
The Security Council imposed an arms embargo, travel bans and asset
freezes on top Eritrean officials.
Somalia's beleaguered UN-backed government welcomed the sanctions.
Islamist insurgents have asserted control over most of the country,
leaving the government with authority in only small parts of the
capital, Mogadishu.
US accusations
But Mr Tesfamichael said the accusations made by the country's critics
were inconsistent.
"Originally it was said we had soldiers and then later came military
support and now all of a sudden after certain discussions and opposition
they started to talk about political, military and logistical support,"
he told the BBC's World Today programme.
"Now we are 100% sure that we have never, never, never supplied military
equipment or otherwise to the extremists in Somalia."
Eritrea's neighboring countries and regional blocs including the African
Union had been lobbying for sanctions for most of the year.
The resolution demands that the country stops "arming, training and
equipping armed groups and their members, including al-Shabaab, that aim
to destabilize the region".
As a result of the Security Council vote, Eritrea becomes the first new
country to be subjected to UN sanctions since they were imposed on Iran
in 2006.
The US said it had sought talks with Eritrea for months, but the country
had failed to act on its promises.
The UN has frequently expressed concern about the flow of arms in to
Somalia, where hard-line Islamists of al-Shabaab and Hizbul-Islam are
battling with government forces for control of the capital Mogadishu.
Somalia has been subject to a UN arms embargo for many years, but
weapons are still freely available in the Mogadishu weapons market.
Source: BBC, Thursday, December 24, 2009
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