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Isaias Afwerki In Kuwait: Unhinged, Again |
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By Awate Staff -
Oct 07, 2004
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The following news item was translated from the Kuwait Arabic newspaper, Al-Rai Al-Aam of Oct 5, 2004:
Reem AlMee Writes: Yesterday, the Eritrean president surprised Kuwait, where he came to in need of "development projects and commerce" and looking for "strategic understanding", based on the historical background represented by [Kuwaits] stand on "the right of the Eritrean people for self determination." In a fiery speech, directed to many, he uttered [his opinions] from Bayan Palace. Attacking the Palestinian leadership "whose mistakes brought problems to the Middle East"; and the Sudanese president Omer AlBeshir whose statement he describes "as a scratched disc"; and the Arab League which he considered, "a big club whose members are withdrawing and how would we join it?", and its Secretary general Amr Mussa who "made a mistake when he asked Eritrea not to get involved in the Sudanese affairs" without forgetting, of course, Yemen and "The Sanaa Axis" and Ethiopia "whose foreign minister peddles a talk to cheat the people", passing by, also, the American administration which he asked to "own and rectify its mistakes in Iraq".
Kuwaiti diplomatic sources confirmed to "Al-Rai Al-Aam" that President Afwerkis press statements embarrassed Kuwait, especially since the Sudanese and Yemeni newspapers have raised the topic of Afwerki's visit to Kuwait from the beginning, and described it as "something is being planned against the two countries [Yemen & Sudan]." The sources added that President Afwerki, with such statements, affirmed what was written in the Sudanese and Yemeni newspapers, confirming that Kuwait is not responsible for the statements of the Eritrean president and does not endorse his views. Also, it [Kuwait] doesnt consider itself a ground for attacking others.
In the press conference at Bayan Palace, Afwerki invited the media to visit Asmera to "invistigate" what he denied about the Israeli bases of which he said, "it doesnt exist except in the minds of some Pan Arabists, it is them who peddle that", and he said to the journalists, "come, board a plane and climb to the Eritrean skies to tell us where the bases are and where we will hide them in Mars?"
In responding to a question about Darfur, he said, it is "in the West, there are thousands of miles between us and [Darfur] and it is a problem of its own which the world is talking about, and about human rights there, where is the position of Eritrea between the people in Darfur and the Sudanese Government?"
Check the original Arabic news here:
http://www.alraialaam.com/05-10-2004/ie5/frontpage.htm#05 |
