www.eastafricaforum.net http://www.voanews.com/english/Africa/2009-01-20-voa8.cfm VOA January 20, 2009 Ethiopian Government Minister Reacts to U.S. Senators' Criticism
James Butty
A senior Ethiopian official says his government has a responsibility to maintain law and order and would not be swayed by outside criticism. The official, Bereket Simon, an advisor to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, was responding to a letter from four influential U.S. senators to the Ethiopian prime minister.
In their letter, the four senators, including Russell Feingold, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa, warned that U.S.-Ethiopian relations could become more difficult because of the Ethiopian government's actions against its opposition.
The senators said they were concerned about the re-arrest of opposition leader Birtukan Midekssa and the passage of a law restricting civil society groups.
Bereket Simon, advisor to the Ethiopian prime minister told VOA the U.S. senators' criticism and accusations are unwarranted.
"If anyone is breaking the law, it's their problem and not our problem. Ethiopian government believes government has a mandate and an obligation to ensure the rule of law in Ethiopia. So it's an unwarranted accusation and criticism," he said.
The senators said in their letter that they were concerned about the re-arrest of opposition leader Birtukan Midekssa. Simon said the opposition leader broke the rules of her conditional pardon.
"First these opposition leaders had been tried and sentenced, and they asked for conditional pardon. Government granted them a conditional pardon which literally means if this person once again transgresses the law of the land, it would be a breach of the pardon, and that's what she did. We don't accept double standard here. We believe citizens who don't have the backing of (U.S.) senators are equal to those who don't have the backing of senators wherever. She has made mistakes and she has to account for it. Why should we be criticized by the senators?" Simon said.
The letter, dated January 16th, was signed by Senator Russell Feingold, chair of the Senate's subcommittee on African Affairs. Other signatories are Senator Patrick Leahy, Richard Durbin, and Johnny Isakson.
The senators criticized Ethiopia's recent law restricting civil society groups. Simon said foreigners do not have the same political rights as Ethiopian citizens to participate in Ethiopian affairs.
"The law differentiates between citizens and foreign-based NGO. Citizens have every right to participate in Ethiopian politics. In fact it is mandated by Ethiopian Constitution. So government cannot put a limit. On the other hand, those foreign-based NGOs who are here because of the privilege that is given to them by the government do not have the political rights to participate in Ethiopian affairs," Simon said.
He said Ethiopia is not worried about the U.S. Senators' criticism of the Meles Zenawi government, especially at a time when a new U.S. administration led by Barack Obama is about to take over the leadership of the U.S. government.
"No matter what the times might be, these Congressmen are telling us not to enact laws that are useful to Ethiopia. They are going to put pressure on us because we enacted our own laws. This Ethiopia; it's a sovereign state. I don't think any Congressman can tell us what to do," Simon said.
___________________________________________________ http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iWUKlAFXNU72fVEiPyBcm0vLY6XQD95R1LH81 AP January 20, 2009 Former Somali president seeks asylum in Yemen
AHMED AL-HAJ
SAN'A, Yemen — Somalia's former president, an ex-warlord who was forced from government, sought political asylum in Yemen, arriving Tuesday in a private jet from his impoverished homeland, an aide and a Yemeni security official said.
One of the former president's aides confirmed that Abdullahi Yusuf was offered a permanent home in Yemen, which lies across the Gulf of Aden from Somalia.
Yusuf's decision to seek asylum confirms his retirement from politics in the impoverished Horn of Africa nation, which has not had a functioning government since 1991.
The 75-year-old former warlord resigned in December following a series of public quarrels with his prime minister.
The aide said it was possible Yusuf could return to Somalia or move to a third country, such as the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia.
Yemen and Somalia are two of the world's poorest countries, according to the U.N. Human Development Index.
Yusuf and his family arrived in Yemen aboard a private jet, said the Yemeni security official, adding that the former president will stay at a hotel for few days before moving to a house provided for him.
Both the official and the aide asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Two years ago, Ethiopian troops intervened on Yusuf's behalf to drive an Islamic administration out of the Somali capital and much of the country's south. But after Yusuf's government was unable to deliver security or social services, the Islamist insurgency began to regain ground until it controlled all of central and southern Somalia.
The Somali government's presence is now limited to pockets of the capital, Mogadishu, and the parliamentary seat of Baidoa.
The Islamists have splintered into several factions and some have begun fighting each other, raising fears that Somalia may sink deeper into chaos.
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http://af.reuters.com/article/somaliaNews/idAFLJ55467420090119 Reuters January 19, 2009 FACTBOX-Foreign navies combat Somali pirates
Foreign navies have foiled a string of pirate attacks off Somalia this year, raising hopes that the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean shipping lanes can be made safer.Around 20 warships from 14 different countries are patrolling the area, their exact numbers and location unknown for security reasons.
COMBINED TASK FORCE 151
* The U.S. Navy on Jan. 8 announced a new task force specifically dedicated to combating piracy in the region. The San Antonio, an amphibious transport dock, serves as the command-and-control ship with two aircraft and two other U.S. Navy ships. More than 20 nations are part of the Combined Maritime Forces. U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Terence "Terry" McKnight has been named the commander of the new task force which will be fully operational by the middle of January.
EUROPEAN UNION
* The EU deployed an air and naval force off Somalia from December, replacing NATO ships. Up to ten EU nations are participating, including Greece, France, Germany and Britain in the first phase from December to March. The German frigate FDS Karlsruhe fought off a pirate attack in the Gulf in late December.
CHINA
* Three Chinese warships arrived in the area in January in the first such naval deployment by Beijing outside its waters.
INDIA
India deployed INS Tabar in October to escort Indian ships. According to the Indian navy, the Tabar came under fire from a suspected pirate mother ship on Nov. 18, returned fire and sank the pirates.
MALAYISA
A Malaysian warship sent a helicopter to help scare away Somali pirates trying to attack an Indian vessel in the Gulf of Aden on Jan. 1.
RUSSIA
Russia's navy sent a Baltic Fleet frigate, the Neustrashimy (Fearless), to the Gulf of Aden in September to combat pirates. Russian forces helped foil an attempted hijacking of a Dutch-registered cargo ship laast week.
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Below are some of the dozen or so ships believed to be still held:
FAINA: Seized Sept. 24. The ship was carrying 33 T-72 tanks, grenade launchers and ammunition destined for Kenya's Mombasa port. Pirates have demanded $20 million in ransom.
STOLT STRENGTH: Seized Nov. 10. The chemical tanker had 23 Filipino crew aboard. It was carrying 23,818 tonnes of oil products.
TIANYU 8: Seized Nov. 13/14. The Chinese fishing boat was reported seized off Kenya. The crew included 15 Chinese, one Taiwanese, one Japanese, three Filipinos and four Vietnamese.
CHEMSTAR VENUS: Seized Nov. 15. The tanker was travelling from Dumai, Indonesia, to Ukraine. It had 18 Filipino and five South Korean crew.
BISCAGLIA: Seized on Nov. 28. The Biscaglia, a Liberian-flagged chemical tanker, had 30 crew on board: 25 Indians, three Britons and two Bangladeshis.
NAMES UKNOWN: Seized on Dec. 10. Pirates hijacked two Yemeni fishing vessels with a total of 22 crew in coastal waters in the Gulf of Aden. Five crew reportedly escaped.
NAMES UNKNOWN: Seized on Dec. 16. A yacht with two on board, an Indonesian tugboat used by French oil company Total and a 100-metre (330-ft) cargo ship belonging to an Istanbul-based shipping company were hijacked.
BLUE STAR: Seized on Jan. 1, 2009. The Egyptian merchant ship was sailing east with a cargo of 6,000 tonnes of urea, a product used as a fertiliser. It had 28 Egyptian crew aboard.
NAME UNKNOWN: A product tanker was seized on Jan. 3 in the Gulf of Aden. 15 crew members were taken hostage.
A total of 14 incidents have been recorded this month with 8 vessels fired upon 4 attempted boardings and the two hijackings.
Sources: Reuters/International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Centre/Lloyds List/Inquirer.net
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