To UN for Sanctions Vote, Eritrean Rep Tells Press "No One Will Come" on Short Notice

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, December 2 -- "No one will come" from Asmara to the UN in New York on Monday, Eritrea's Permanent Representative Araya Desta told Inner City Press after 5 pm on Friday.

After a Security Council fight resulting in an eleventh hour invitation to President Isaias Afwerki to address the Council on Monday just before new sanctions on Eritrea are slated to be voted on, throughout Friday afternoon there was discussion that the US hadn't come through with visas.

But by 5 pm the US bragged that 11 visas were being granted, for pick up Saturday morning.

This put the ball back in Eritrea's court. Three times Isaias Afwerki had asked to address the Council before it votes on further sanctions. The request was ignored until Gabon and the United States on November 29 pushed for a vote on sanctions the next day.

Facing opposition, it was agreed to invite not only Isaias Afwerki and but also leaders of Eritrea's neighbors to address the Council Monday morning, then vote on Monday afternoon.

But as Desta told Inner City Press on Friday night, this schedule lacked due process. He said, "They [fouled] it up, I'm sorry to say it that way. That's what Doctor Rice wants. No one is coming."

Desta provided reasons of timing, and of due process, first calling it "short notice, we would have had to arrange a charter. You don't ask a president to come within a day and a half." Still he emphasized, "My President was ready to come."

Then Desta pointed out that the sanctions resolution will already be "in blue" -- what if Security Council members wanted to consult that capitals after hearing the morning's speeches?

He said, "the Security Council should take time, the experts should meet and discuss on each and every paragraph. They don't want to do that. There is no crisis in the region. So what is the reason they are bringing it in a rush? You wrote it yourself, they didn't want to deal with the Russians."

To many, the push on November 29 to haul off and vote on November 30, the last day of Portugal's Council presidency, seemed strange. Desta said, "the way Doctor Rice has done was imposition, really outrageous."

It does look like a strange compromise now. As one Council member mused to Inner City Press, "to put a head of state into a situation in which he speaks to the Council in the morning, and they adopt sanctions against his country in the afternoon, is a set-up for a no-show."

Another suggested that the Council should have scheduled the President to speak as early in December as he could, and then hold the vote on another subsequent day. But that appears no longer here nor there. "No one will come," Desta told Inner City Press. Watch this site.

Eritrea Rep Says Maybe Ethiopia Offers Help Ping 2d AU Term As Trade for Sanctions, Others Talk Zuma

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, November 30, updated -- Amid widespread questioning in the UN Security Council of the push to vote today on new Eritrea sanctions, with the US having blocked a request from Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki to talk to the Council, Gabon midday on Wednesday again said it would call for a vote later that day.

Sources tell Inner City Press that Russia has threatened to veto.

Inner City Press has obtained a copy of the November 29 letter to the Council from Eritrea's UN Ambassador Araya Desta, and asked Desta about it. "It is the third letter," Desta told Inner City Press.

The letter says, "It has come to my attention that the delebation of Gabon intends to table the draft resolution on Eritrea for action tomorrow... I appeal to your Excellency that H.E. Mr. Isaias Afwerki, President of the State of Eritrea, be given the audience to address the [UNSC] before any action is taken on the draft resolution."

Desta speaking exclusively to Inner City Press went further: "What does Gabon know about Eritrea? Where it is? They don't even know the location of Eritrea." Significantly, larger African member of the Council South Africa is known to oppose voting on Wednesday on the proposed sanctions.

Desta told Inner City Press, "It is crazy to penalize the Eritrean people in order to get a second term for Jean Ping as commissioner of the African Union." He mused, "maybe Meles [Zenawi] tells him, I'll help you get a second term, if you help" put more sanctions on Eritrea.

Inner City Press asked Desta why he thought the US was being so adamant. Desta said "my President has write two or three letters" to President Obama, "my foreign minister met with them."

Some have alluded to the US "using" Ethiopia to fight Islamists in Somalia, first the Islamic Courts and now Al Shabaab, including it's said from drone bases in Ethiopia.

To be less US-focused, Eritrea clearly has enemies among other neighbors: Djibouti, for example, often buzzes around the Security Council. But the idea that a head of state should on request be allowed to address the Security Council before such sanctions are voted on seems to be widely held. Watch this site.

Update: Still on the AU, later on Wednesday a representative of one of Eritrea's neighbors came to complain to Inner City Press that "South Africa is pressuring us to vote as Zuma says" -- that is, Nkosozana Dlamini-Zuma, former SA Foreign Minister & current SA Home Affairs Minister -- "now it's just sour grapes on their part. They need to decide if they are with the BRICS or with Africa." Others would say it's not either / or....

At UN on Eritrea Sanction, Russia Says Afwerki Should Be Invited Before Vote

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 30 -- After a closed door "showdown" in the Security Council between US Ambassador Rice and Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin about when and how to vote on proposed new Eritrea sanctions, Inner City Press asked Ambassador Rice if she thought there would be a vote in the afternoon on Eritrea sanctions. Ambassador Rice did not stop or answer.

Moments later, Russia's Churkin emerged from the Council. He spoke at length with the Press, recounting that "we had some people working on the sanctions resolution, on and off... All of the sudden last night we were told the sponsors were moving the resolution in blue, voting... today."

As Inner City Press exclusively reported Tuesday night, US Ambassador Susan Rice said the vote should take place Wednesday since Gabon, Nigeria and the regional IGAD group want the sanctions.

Churkin on Wednesday disagreed, saying "there is a 48 hour rule.. but at least 24 hours" between putting a text into blue and voting on it. He also noted that "more than a month ago, the president of Eritrea asked to address the Security Council. We believe it is his right under the UN Charter."

Churkin said Afwerki's request was "consulted on by President of the Council. One delegation was objecting. We did not precipitate this issue, we were not sure, if they were not in a hurry on the resolution... But under those circumstances, we think it would just be wrong to act today on this resolution. We should finalize experts that were interrupted and give a chance to the President of Eritrea to come to New York."

Churkin said that Afwerki sent "another letter today that he wants to come and speak before the vote." About the draft, Churkin said, "we have two or three concerns, some other have more, some African countries... it's not some kind of an urgent matter because of some crisis."

The Council's stated agenda was a debate on its Working Methods. Churkin said on Eritrea this is "not a good method of work."

Inner City Press asked Churkin why no procedural vote had been called for after Ambassador Rice blocked granting Afkerki's request to address the Council. Churkin explained, "if we were told a vote is going to take place a week from now, we will go for procedural vote... Maybe this is why they rushed into blue, not to let him come. I think it is a ridiculous thing."

Moments later, Inner City Press spoke with Eritrea's Permanent Representative to the UN Araya Desta. But that's another story - watch this site.

UN's Invitation to Eritrea for Somalia Meeting Was Revoked at IGAD's Demand, Sources Say

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, September 26, 2010 -- The Somalia meeting at the UN on September 23 featured a little noticed last minute disinvitation. The UN's Department of Political Affairs had invited Eritrea, which has at least in the past been a member of the regional group IGAD which has hosted the leaders of the Alliance to Reliberate Somalia and detractor say supports the Al Shabab rebels.

But the other IGAD members wanted Eritrea excluded. They prepared a draft Communique which criticized the UN for inviting Eritrea. To avoid the criticism, the UN unceremoniously disinvited Eritrea, just before the meeting began.

Little was said about this. In fact, the political coordinator of a Security Council member told Inner City Press he had not heard about the disinvitation, but saw Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's chief of staff Vijay Nambiar whispering to Eritrean Permanent Representative Araya Desta, and then his disappearance from the meeting room.

This Security Council member told Inner City Press his country thinks excluding Eritrea was a bad idea. They are a player, he says. Not having them present makes resolution less likely.

Analogy has been made, as it has with respect to most Security Council members other than the US, France and UK being willing to meet with Sudan's Omar al Bashir, to Slobodan Milosevic's participation in the Dayton peace process.

But several IGAD members told Inner City Press Eritrea is such a “spoiler” or troublemaker that it would be a “mockery” to have them present.

Uganda's Permanent Representative Rugunda confirmed to Inner City Press, let's just say, Eritrea was not present when the meeting actually happened.

Whatever one thinks of the wisdom of disinviting Eritrea, it is surprisingly how little has been said or reported about it. Hence this exclusive report, and questions which will be forthcoming. Watch this site.