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| Africa: Horn |
| Eritrea Rebuffs Annan, Keeps Flight Ban |
| 2005-10-22 |
| U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan sent a letter urging Eritrea to lift its ban on peacekeeping flights, saying the move jeopardized troop safety along a buffer zone between the Eritrean and Ethiopian armies, a spokesman said Friday. In a blunt response, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki rejected Annan's appeal, telling him that he lacks the "humanitarian high ground on matters of law, the rule of law and humanitarian issues." Annan expressed his concern about a prolonged humanitarian crisis in Eritrea, where 2.3 million people are in need because of poor nutrition and lack of food, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. The letter was dated Monday, the same day that Annan told reporters the United Nations may have to withdraw troops from the area if the ban isn't lifted. Eritrea informed the United Nations that it was banning helicopter flights by U.N. peacekeepers in its airspace in a buffer zone with Ethiopia starting Oct. 5. It also banned U.N. patrol vehicles from operating at night on its side of the 621-mile Temporary Security Zone. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 In a blunt response, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki rejected Annan's appeal, telling him that he lacks the "humanitarian high ground on matters of law, the rule of law and humanitarian issues." Give Afwerki a prize! Finally, a third world leader with the courage to take an elitist pansy like Annan to task for his piss-poor track record. How refreshing! |
| Posted by: Zenster 2005-10-22 19:44 |