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Eritrea offers military help to US
The United States can have access to Eritrea's military bases as part of its war against terror, President Isaias Afewerki has said. He made the offer to US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who began a four-nation tour of the Horn of Africa in the capital, Asmara. Mr Rumsfeld did not say whether the US would take Eritrea up on its offer. But Mr Afewerki's offer marks a change of tone in relations between Eritrea and the US. In October, the US accused Eritrea of human rights abuses. Eritrea responded by accusing the CIA of plotting against it. Mr Rumsfeld said he had also discussed the political situation with Eritrea's leader. "We have very limited resources, but we are willing and prepared to use these resources in any way that is useful to combat terrorism," Mr Afewerki said. Mr Rumsfeld went to Addis Ababa after Asmara and is also due to visit the Gulf state of Qatar. Eritrea's neighbours Somalia, Sudan and Yemen have all been seen as possible havens of the al-Qaeda network, which is accused of launching the attacks on Israelis in Kenya last month. Nice neighbors, no wonder they want to help us. That and the jobs a U.S. base would generate. Posted by: Steve 2002-12-10 |
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