By Tazabi-1,
Ethiopia, despite its public rhetoric to show off its willingness to travel as far as Asmara to meet Eritrean officials today failed even to send a delegate to an important East African ministerial meeting that was convened in the Eritrean capital Asmara this week.
The 58th Regular Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Desert Locust Control Organization for East Africa (DLCO-EA) was conducted over the past 2 days in Asmara.
Even though, Eritrean government showed its readiness to accommodate Ethiopian delegates to the locust control meeting, the Ethiopian government, however, deliberately refused to send its delegate.
It is also believed to influence the Somalia and Kenyan governments from participating in the meeting.
According to observers, such is part of the continued ploy employed by Ethiopia to deny Eritrea from hosting such regional summits that would in return facilitate its re-integration into the regional groupings.
Ethiopia would rather keep Eritrea out of IGAD and other important regional gatherings to isolate Eritrea. However, sources from Asmara, indicates despite Ethiopia’s eleventh hour attempt to have the venue transferred to other horn of Africa country, Eritrea managed to sway the majority members of the organization to favor conducting the meeting in Asmara where the organization was first founded in 1962. (Edited by TesfaNews)
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58th Regular Meeting of DLCO East Africa Ministerial Council conducted in Asmara
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By Shabait,
(Asmara, 11 October 2013) – The 58th Regular Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Desert Locust Control Organization for East Africa (DLCO-EA) was conducted over the past 2 days at Asmara Palace Hotel in the presence of the Agriculture ministers of Eritrea, Republic of Sudan, Uganda and South Sudan, as well as representatives of different countries and organizations.
In the course of the regional meeting, Eritrean Minister of Agriculture Arefaine Berhe said that the world in general and the East Africa region in particular has been witnessing a period of drought-food-shortages, besides soaring food prices, especially since 2006. He further noted the need for exerting joint endeavors on the part of member states and partners with a view to meeting the cherished bottom-line organizational objective.
Commending the Eritrean government’s initiative of hosting the meeting, Mr. Gaspar Maliya, Director of the organization, pointed out that 2012 and 2013 were the years in which more instances of desert locust swarm were witnessed. He went on to disclose that research works would be conducted so as to devise precautionary mechanisms in this connection, and stated that the organization has been compelled to extend the scope of its activities in connection with the instances of horde by other pests, Quila-Quila birds and Tsetse Fly.
In the same vein, Mr. Komayombi Bullegeya, Executive Chairman of the DLCO-EA Council of Ministers, explained that global warming has aggravated the risk of desert locust swarm, and hence the need for further equipping the organization both materially and in human capacity.
The Council of Ministers of the organization adopted annual budgetary allocations and work programs for the country branches, and decided that the forthcoming meeting would be conducted in Tanzania. Moreover, they conducted extensive discussion on various agenda items.
It is to be recalled that the DLCO-EA was established in 1962 here in Asmara, while such meetings were conducted in 1996 and 2005 in Eritrea.
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President holds talks with DLCO-EA Council of Ministers
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By Shabait,
(Asmara, 11 October 2013) – President Isaias Afwerki today received and held talks with the Council of Ministers of the Desert Locust Control Organization for East Africa (DLCO-EA).
In the course of the meeting at the State House, the President stressed that the activities of the organization should be assessed within the context of food security vis-à-vis the need for achieving expanded membership.
He went on to emphasize that the DLCO-EA should reinforce its organizational capacity and scope of work programs. President Isaias also voiced Eritrea’s readiness to back the activities of the organization.
The members of the DLCO-EA Council of Ministers on their part stated that their stay here has enabled them to get acquainted with Eritrea’s right image. They further expressed satisfaction with President Isaias’ constructive suggestions, and said that they would apply the proposals he put forth.
Present at the meeting were Mr. Gaspar Maliya, Director of DLCO-EA, Mr. Komayombi Bullegeya, Executive Chairman of the organization’s Ministerial Council, Mr. Arefaine Berhe, Minister of Agriculture of Eritrea, and his counterparts from the Republic of Sudan, Uganda and South Sudan.
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