By TesfaNews,
ERITREA’s Permanent Representative at the United Nations, H.E. Ambassador Girma Asmerom, addressed the Security Council Sanctions Committee on October 10th following the release of the 2014 Somalia Eritrea Monitoring Group (SEMG) Report.
After thanking the UN Secretariat and the Chairperson of the Committee for providing the opportunity, Ambassador Girma went on to explain the numerous irregularities and groundless allegations that are allowed to be incorporated within the report.
Ambassador Girma also went on challenging the veracity and credibility of the entire report especially after it was discovered that one member of the monitoring group, Mr. Dinesh Mahtani, was caught [later fired] on record openly advocating for regime change in Eritrea.
Ambassador Girma asked the committee if it is not procedurally and legally proper for the report to be dismissed as it has been already tainted by the likes of Mr. Dinesh Mahtani’s bias stance and opinion.
The Ambassador also rejects the inclusion of the Eritrean – Ethiopian issue in the report for no apparent reason than an attempt by the SEMG to move the goalpost from “sanctioning Eritrea on the issues of Somalia” to the “Eritrea-Ethiopian issue“. He called it a travesty of justice and completely outside the mandate of the monitoring group. He mentioned, though, if the Security Council is interested in discussing Ethiopia’s occupation of Eritrean sovereign territory, Eritrea has no problem as long as it is handled in another format and under different agenda item.
Ambassador Girma finally reminded for those members of the committee who are insisting for the monitoring group to visit Eritrea for the sanction to be lifted, he said that can not be a valid argument as the group have already visited Eritrea on two separate occasions and yet the sanctioned not yet lifted.
Since it has been asserted beyond any reasonable doubt that there are no links or Eritrean supports to Al-Shabaab and there is no evidence that shows Eritrea violating any of the UN Security Council Resolutions, Ambassador Girma once again called on the members of the Committee to request the UN Security Council to lift the unjust sanction unconditionally.
The full text of the statement made by Ambassador Girma Asmerom at the informal Consultation with the sanction Committee is as follows:
