Amanuel Biedemariam

President Obama undermined US diplomatic protocol, longstanding US diplomatic process and the State Department when he moved-up the UN Ambassadorship of Susan Rice to a cabinet level position. The move is a serious blunder that will undermine US diplomatic structures and processes and its negative effects to be felt for decades to come. There are many examples of these colossal failures.

Ambassador Rice has a horrific record as US point person of Africa during the Clinton Administration in which she stood by as a bystander and witnessed the Rwanda Holocaust unfold. And as a UN Ambassador, Susan Rice is doing serious damages to US political and moral high ground by undercutting US diplomatic leverages and, infringing upon American citizen’s rights by conspiring with some of the most atrocious human rights violators and genocidal tyrants of Africa.

Moreover, Ambassador Rice or President Obama are denying the American people congressional oversight by outsourcing US political agendas to international organizations like the Arab League, African Union and other regional organizations in Africa such as IGAD and ECOWAS. This is a convenient shortcut of pursuing US interests. It only requires pressuring tyrants and leaders of client states to echo US agendas. This approach gives Rice cover to push resolutions and decisions that have long-term implications with a lightning speed.

The problem with this approach is multi-pronged. Firstly, the process excludes the American people and congress. Secondly, and absent of informed public, US congressional representatives are less likely to be inquisitive and as a result not as invested as they should be. This approach avoids open discussions of US diplomatic endeavors and, in this interconnected global environment, to negate the American people and congress opportunities to meaningful understanding of world politics and engagement is serious abrogation of responsibilities.

In addition, the approach renders the State Department impotent at worst or, diminishes its influence greatly. Because regardless, of the communications that take place between the State Department and the US Mission at the UN, the focus of world leaders will be UN and the UNSC. This empowers the UN greatly while diminishing US diplomatic upper hand globally and reduces the US State Department to a mere bureaucratic shell.

Case in point, the recent Sanction measure against Eritrea Resolution 2023 adopted by the UNSC December 5, that passed with thirteen “yes” votes and two abstentions Russia and China. A simple glance at the votes makes the sanction measure look successful. However, upon digging deeper we can uncover layers of disturbing patterns that ought to concern every American.

One of the basic tenets of the American way of life is the jurisprudence based on US constitution that observes certain inalienable rights such as the ability to defend oneself and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt. While that is not-always forthcoming and apparent in foreign policy matters, there are certain precedents and protocols as well as rules the US is expected to follow. These norms, values and laws, even if they are not adhered-to as they should they are universally accepted principles. And for the US, the standards are higher.

However, in this case, everything was thrown out the window. Ambassador Rice failed to bring a credible case against Eritrea. Rice failed to embrace fairness and American values. Rice presented fabrications to the UNSC to make a case in order to pass sanction measures against Eritrea. She pressed the measure in unprecedented fashion to catch the members of UNSC by surprise into voting without deliberation at 5pm on Tuesday Nov 29, to be voted on the next morning shocking all. She usurped the UN process and gave the matter unwarranted urgency in order to pass the measure. She put the measure in Blue prematurely as if the situation is dire, of utmost urgency and importance.

The members reacted negatively and denied the vote with Russia threatening to veto the measure. China said that President Isaias Afwerki has requested to come and address the UNSC in October and, according to UN charter that is the right of every UN member-country and demanded President Isaias address the council. Of course she did not want President Isaias to appear in front of the council. Her remarks were unbecoming of a diplomat. It was a shameful act and display of utter arrogance that future generation American diplomats cannot model after. She disrespected the Eritrean people by saying I have met the Eritrean delegation in July, we do not want a “circus and is not to my taste.” Her comments are an example that the US needs to seriously reevaluate its diplomatic approaches. Because, Rice acted as if she is above a president and undermined the UN process by disregarding concerns of other members and abused the privileges of being a host nation by using the issuance of a visa as part of her maneuvers. The circus that followed was a must see TV for the whole world to laugh at.

Ambassador Rice went on a two day negotiation spree in which she was forced to say we are obligated to grant a visa to President Isaias and his delegation on Friday Dec 2, 48 hours before the measure was to be voted on. According to Rice, the visas were granted on Saturday and the vote was scheduled for Monday. The president was slated to address the council and make a case for his country in a matter that could determine the fate of his people on Monday morning December 5after travelling 16 hours from Africa.

On Christmas Eve in 2009, Ambassador Rice passed a similar measure in a stealthy manner and placed an arms embargo against Eritrea a nation at war with Ethiopia denying Eritrea a right to self-defense. This was based on fabrications by using Somalia and a border dispute with Djibouti while ignoring Ethiopia that is occupying Eritrean territories illegally. She called this an African initiative and used Africa to pressure China and Russia to pass a sanction measure.

In July of 2011, the African Union (AU) rejected for lack of evidence, Ethiopia’s plea to send yet another bogus statement to the UNSC against Eritrea. The accusations came from Ethiopia and alleged that Eritrea was caught trying to bomb Addis Ababa during the AU gatherings. Ethiopia is at war with Eritrea and the accusations came from a country that is party to the conflict. Gabon, a country that has no connection to Eritrea, tabled the measure at the urging of the US to give it an African cover. The evidence provided to the UNSC is laughable. It is absurd that Rice tried to convince the UNSC, Eritrea, a nation that is capable to wage full scale wars and have successfully defeated Africa’s strongest army to gain independence, can resort to this joke of terrorist act fabricated by a genocidal regime that is using terrorism as a cover to quell decent and make money from the West.

The Russian Ambassador to the United Nations said as follows… “The text of the resolution contains a range of provisions that lack adequate foundation, and the role of the group of experts has been expanded beyond measure. In that respect, we refer in particular to the “planned terrorist attack” in Addis Ababa during the African Union summit there. The Russian Federation is categorically against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. However, in this case, the Security Council was not presented with convincing proof of Eritrea’s involvement in that incident. We have not seen the results of any investigation of that incident, if indeed there was one.”

This is diplo-speak that means the accusations are fabrications, in other words lies. The barrage of accusations and allegations Eritrea faced was designed to put maximum pressure on China and Russia to pass punitive measures by using Africans. Kenya accused Eritrea of flying arms to Al Shabab in Kisamyo South Somalia. All one has to do is observe the map of the Horn of Africa and observe in order to reach Kisamyou, Eritrea must fly through hostile air space of Ethiopia and above heavily monitored Indian Ocean Waters. The Djibouti case was also a farce since Djibouti has already agreed and signed to allow Qatar to mediate the “dispute.” Ambassador Rice created a circus by having the accusers address the UNSC from Addis via satellite in order to put more pressure and failed. By doing that, Rice empowered the UNSC over the US.

The reality, Djibouti is a client state of the US that hosts over 3,000 US soldiers stationed in Camp Lemonier Djibouti. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta just visited Djibouti to highlight the importance. Ethiopia and Kenya are in the same boat. The Transitional Government of Somalia is very dependent on the US and Ethiopian soldiers for its very survival. In other words, they are all parties to the conflict.

The US used The Somali Monitoring Group, a group formed by the US to give recommendations on Somalia related issues. In this case, the Monitoring Group presented to the UN everything Ethiopia gave them including names of Eritreans that support their birth country. These law-abiding Eritrean American citizens have resided in the US for decades. The Sanction recommendation the Monitoring Group gave targeted remittances these citizens send to their homeland. The monitoring group gave specific sanction measures to decapitate Eritrea from existence prompting the Russians to react and rightfully say…,

“We also have doubts with respect to the provision in the resolution that gives the Sanctions Committee a mandate to draft, with the support of the expert group, guiding principles for States on maintaining vigilance in their cooperation with Eritrea in the mining sector. When it comes to guiding United Nations Members, guidance should be provided by a resolution of the Security Council and not by the preliminary work of subsidiary bodies, as that can lead to various interpretations of resolutions that have been adopted.”

The monitoring group is not a legal body, an elected representation or a neutral and transparent investigative organ. It is political tool the US and Ethiopia use to further their agendas.

More than what is described above, the most disturbing aspect of Ambassador Rice’s adventures is what Wikileaks exposed. Ambassador Rice conspired with African leaders and discussed on how to impose restrictions on US citizens of Eritrean decent from sending remittances to their home country. Cables on May and August of 2009 reveal Rice talking to various Ethiopian officials in cable after another. This is what Ethiopian official recommended. Cable quote:

“ Tekeda said, cutting off the flow of money to Eritrea was essential. Particularly, remittances from the U.S. was a major source of funding for Eritrea, which used such funds for arms procurement and support for extremist elements.”

On August 17, 2009 Rice conferred with Ethiopian representative Tessema, cable quote:

“Ambassador Rice emphasized that any new sanctions Resolution should reflect the common ground between Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Somalia.”

This is a pattern that shows Rice conspiring against American citizens with leaders of other countries. The list and detail is abundant for all to research. Rice called Eritrean Americans, “The Diaspora” and decided to infringe upon the rights of American citizens that she calls “Diaspora” in order to get at the country of their origin.

One of the most disturbing aspects of these developments is to know how easy it is to infringe upon US citizen rights without any congressional oversight and the citizenry finding out what is really taking place. Moreover, today, it is Eritrean Americans, who is next? It may be easy for the average American to overlook these developments because it is happening to obscure unfamiliar communities. However, these are outstanding law abiding American citizens most of whom arrived in the early to mid-80s. Their kids represent a first generation of Eritrean Americans that are brilliant excelling in many areas. There are many Eritrean doctors, engineers, army officials, athletes and successful exemplary Eritrean American citizens. It is criminal and libelous for Rice to incriminate entire communities of American citizens for foreign policy agendas in order to pass a flowed resolution based on fabrications.

Concluding Remarks

Over the years, the US has showed the world the ways and, meanings of diplomacy in good and bad times. American diplomats epitomized patriotism and international legal savvy. Most importantly they knew the importance of keeping the political upper hand while retaining the moral high grounds. Above all, they placed the rights of American citizens above everything. They accorded it the dignity that it deserves. Howard Baker, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Henry Kissinger to mention some. They always knew how to keep their eyes on the ball while keeping the long and short term goals of the nation intact.

Ambassador Rice is a departure from that. She represents street diplomacy of thug like bullying underhanded mischief; petty shortcut diplomacy, fabrications, obvious-threats and intimidation. Her approaches are gifts to Russia and China because due to her belligerence they are looking like saints. In this latest debacle, China and Russia came out with moral high ground because they were talking transparency and following the UN rules and laws. Susan Rice on the other hand, was always on the defensive and looked petty. Her tactics were a reach by any standard; the strategy she applied was flawed giving Russia and China opportunities to play her like a child.

The people of Africa are suffering terribly due to the incompetence of foreign officials Such as Susan Rice. This episode is likely to lead to more wars and bloodshed. Examples are aplenty. Susan Rice’s name is synonymous to The Genocide of Rwanda. The irony is, after a failure of that magnitude, her incompetence was rewarded by promotion to a much higher and significant position of high impact.

Susan Rice believes that she has picked a soft target to bully, misrepresent, fabricate harass and undermine the rights of Eritrean American citizens in order to pursue her feeble agendas. Certainly, Susan Rice will not try the same strategy on other American groups such as the Armenian or Jewish communities. She felt that Eritrean Americans are soft targets to stigmatize. This Eritrean American will not sit idle and watch American rights stripped brazenly.

All Eritreans and concerned citizens need to call for the firing of Susan Rice and hold her legally accountable for conspiring against American citizens with foreign nationals and governments.

Awetnayu@hotmail.com

(African Union) – On 25th April, the African Union (AU) commemorated World Malaria Day. Statistics collected by the AU for the year 2010, show some advances in controlling malaria in Africa. At the same time, the AU acknowledges the urgency in meeting critical milestones in order to eliminate and eventually eradicate the disease on the continent.

The year 2010 is the end of the Roll Back Malaria decade and it coincides with the 5 year review of the Abuja Call. The preliminary results of the review of the Abuja call show that there is increasing coverage of initiatives against malaria and which is leading to substantial reductions in the malaria burden in a number of countries in Africa.

The AU statistics show that in an effort to increase access to malaria services and attain MDGs by 2015, 74% of African nations have waived taxes on anti-malarial drugs, 64% have removed taxes or introduced waivers on Insecticide Treated Mosquito Nets (ITNs) while about half have waived taxes and tariffs on nets, netting materials and insecticides.

Significant strides have been made toward malaria control and the elimination of the disease from many regions, continental eradication is a long-term goal that will require a sustained commitment.

Ten African countries namely: Eritrea, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Zambia, Botswana, Cape Verde, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Zanzibar in Tanzania have documented at least a 50 per cent reduction in malaria cases in 2008, compared to the status of 2000.

In prevention of malaria, an increased focus on distribution of ITNs, Indoor Residue Spraying (IRS), and Intermittent Presumptive Treatment (IPT) programs has produced impressive results: ten countries in Africa documented reductions in malaria cases of more than 50% in 2008 compared to 2000.

The AU says, that in efforts of Counting Malaria Out in Africa, national and local governments, parliaments, health and development partners, the private sector and NGO/CBO/CSOs, need to engage in resources mobilization for malaria control and elimination.

However, in spite of the progress made in malaria prevention and control in Africa, the AU notes that Member States still face several challenges. These include issues of delivery of key interventions such as ACTs (Artemisinin Combination Therapy), intermittent presumptive therapy for pregnant women, and enhanced capacity for Indoor Residual Spraying.

African Union Commission (AUC) — The Assembly of the African Union Heads of State and Government while at their 14th Ordinary Session from 31st January to 2nd February 2010, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, adopted the following Decisions:

On the situation of peace and security in Africa, the Summit expressed satisfaction with the efforts by the African Union and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), with support from the international community, for the effective establishment of the continental Peace and Security Architecture, as well as for the prevention and resolution of conflict and the consolidation of peace.

With regard to unconstitutional changes of government, and strengthening the capacity of the African Union to manage such situations, the Assembly reiterated the African Union’s total rejection of unconstitutional changes of Government, and its determination to put a definitive end to this scourge, which undermines the progress achieved in the ongoing democratization processes in the continent and constitutes a threat to peace and security in Africa.

The Assembly decided that, in case of unconstitutional changes of government, in addition to the suspension of the country concerned, the following measures shall apply: non-participation of the perpetrators of the unconstitutional change in the elections held to restore constitutional order; implementation of sanctions against any Member State that is proven to have instigated or supported an unconstitutional change in another State; and implementation by the Assembly of other sanctions including punitive economic sanctions. It further decided that, Member States should, upon the occurrence of an unconstitutional change of Government, refrain from granting any accreditation to the de facto authorities in non-African international bodies, including the United Nations and its General Assembly, thus strengthening the automatic suspension measure taken by the AU against the countries in which unconstitutional changes of Government have taken place.

The Assembly strongly underscored the importance of signing and ratification by Member States which have not already done so, of the AU Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance as well as on good neighbourliness and non-subversion.

Concerning the International Criminal Court (ICC), the recommendation of the Assembly contained therein, and in particular the following:

Proposal for amendment to Article 16 of the Rome Statute;

Proposal for retention of Article 13 as is;

Procedural issues: guidelines for the exercise of prosecutorial discretion by the ICC Prosecutor;

Immunities of officials whose states are not parties to the Rome Statute: the relationship between articles 27 and 98; and

Proposals regarding the crime of aggression.

On the abuse of the principle of universal jurisdiction, the Assembly reiterated its previous positions adopted in Sharm el Sheikh, Addis Ababa and Sirte in July 2008, February 2009 and July 2009 respectively to the effect that there has been blatant abuse of the Principle of Universal Jurisdiction particularly by some non-African States. It called for immediate termination of all pending indictments while urging the Commission to follow-up on this matter with a view to ensuring that a definitive solution to this problem is reached and to report to the Ordinary Session of the Assembly through the Executive Council in July 2010.

For the Hissène Habré case: the Assembly appealed to all Member States to contribute to the budget of the trial and extend the necessary support to the Government of Senegal in the execution of the African Union (AU) mandate to prosecute and try Hissene Habre;

With respect to the terrorist attack against the Togolese national football team, the Assembly recalled the principles enshrined in the Constitutive Act of the African Union, the 1999 OAU Convention on Preventing and Combating Terrorism (Algiers Convention) and the 2004 Protocol, the relevant legal instruments of the United Nations and other international conventions relating to the fight against  terrorism, all of which equally condemn the support, sheltering and financing of terrorists groups;

On the Year of Peace and Security in Africa, the Assembly stressed that the Year of Peace and Security will be an opportunity for African people and leaders, as well as African institutions, in partnership with the international community, to review current efforts towards peace on the continent, with a view to strengthening them and, where appropriate, launching new initiatives, in particular by:

giving added momentum to peace and security efforts on the continent;

giving greater visibility to ongoing and past efforts by the African Union on the ground;

speeding up the implementation of commitments made by Member States to various AU instruments relating to peace and security;

making synergy between official efforts to promote peace and security with those  being undertaken on the ground by grassroots communities; and

mobilizing resources to support peace and security efforts on the Continent.

On the African Common position on the review of the implementation of the Beijing+15 platform, the Assembly took note of the Report on the African Common Position on the Fifteen Year Review of the Implementation of the Beijing Platform of Action, and the recommendations contained therein. It called on the United Nations to consider and incorporate the Common African Position on the Fifteen Years Review of the Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, during the global review.

Regarding the establishment of the Fund for African Women, the Assembly decided to  launch the Fund for African Women in accordance with Assembly Decision Assembly/AU/Dec.143 (VIII) adopted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in January 2007.

On the date and venue of the fifteenth Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union, the Assembly accepted the dates proposed by the Republic of Uganda and the Commission for the holding of the Summit meetings in Kampala as follows:

19 to 20 July 2010: 20th Ordinary Session of the Permanent Representatives’ Committee;

22 to 23 July 2010: 17th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council;

25 to 27 July 2010: 15th Ordinary Session of the Assembly.

Concerning the election of the members of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, the Assembly appointed the following five (5) Members of the Peace and Security Council for a three-year term as of 1 April 2010:

It also appointed the following ten (10) Members of the Peace and Security Council for a two-year term as of 1 April 2010:

Concerning the African Common Position at the Copenhagen Summit on Climate Change, the Assembly reaffirmed its continued stand to remain united in all future negotiations on climate change while endorsing that the leadership of H.E Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, as Coordinator of CAHOSCC, be extended to lead CAHOSCC for the next two Conferences of Parties (COP16 in Mexico and COP17 in South Africa, in 2010 and 2011 respectively).

Regarding the report of the Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee on NEPAD, the Assembly approved the adoption of a new strategic approach focusing on partnership dialogue on Africa’s development policy issues and called for the institutionalization of Africa’s engagement within the G20, and the effecting of the desired paradigm shift from management of poverty in the Continent to economic transformation for Africa to emerge as a new growth pole to address existing imbalances and play a significant role in the integrated world economy.

On the integration of the NEPAD into the structures and processes of the African Union including the establishment of the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA), the Assembly approved the following:

Facilitate and coordinate the implementation of the continental and regional priority programmes and projects;

Mobilize resources and partners in support of the implementation of Africa’s priority programmes and projects;

Conduct and coordinate research and knowledge management;

Regarding the response to the global financial crisis, the Assembly expressed some concerns on the impact of the global financial and economic crisis on African countries, despite their economies being less integrated into the international financial system. It called upon developed countries as well as international financial institutions to urgently implement the recommendations and commitments made during the Pittsburgh G-20 Summit, while requesting the Commission, in collaboration with the AfDB and the ECA, to continue monitoring the impact of the crisis on African countries, as well as the implementation of the G20 Summit Commitments

On the Reform of the United Nations Security Council, the Assembly reaffirmed the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration on the reform of the United Nations Security Council containing the African Common Position, and called for its intensive promotion to ensure that Africa speaks with one voice on the issue of Security Council Reform.

On the annexes to the statues of the African Investment Bank, the Assembly adopted the Annexes to the Statutes of the African Investment Bank (AIB) including the selection of scenario B, on the distribution of capital and voting rights of the AIB among Member States, and the choice of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) of the International Monetary Fund as unit of account of the AIB, until the creation of the African single currency. It called on the Member States that have not yet done so to sign and ratify the Protocol and the Statutes of the African Investment Bank.

On the African Union budget for the 2010 financial year, the Assembly approved the Budget of the African Union for the Year 2010 amounting to US$250,453,697. They requested the Commission to implement the decision to increase Member States` contribution towards the peace fund from 6% to 12% over a period of 3 years starting from 2011. They also decided to allocate US$3,020,854 to NEPAD as initial budget for its integration into African Union structures and processes pending the approval of its structure by the Policy Organs as well as the continued harmonization of its programs with those of AUC to avoid duplication and ensure coherence.

On Zimbabwe, the Assembly recalled its Decision 252 adopted in Sirte, Libya, in July 2009 on the immediate lifting of sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe. In this regard, the Assembly invited all the Member States of the AU and the international community to give priority to the immediate and permanent lifting of the international sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe. Source: (African Press Organization)

African Union chief, Jean Ping, dismissed accusations that Ethiopia has blocked the right of Eritrea to establish an office for its mission to the AU in Addis Ababa.

Asmara said in a letter circulated during the 14th AU summit Eritrea has been banned for the last 10 years from its right to participate in African Union summits and other meetings in Addis Ababa by Ethiopian refusal to extend proper diplomatic and security guarantee.

Eritrea also called on the African Union to stop holding its summits and other meetings in Addis Ababa.

In his reply to the Eritrean Foreign Affairs Minister, Osman Saleh, the Chairperson of the African UN Commission said that “Ethiopia should never been accused for Eritrea’s denial using its rights to take part in AU deliberation,” the official ENA reported on Thursday.

Ping said the commission had discussed the issues with government of Ethiopia at highest level and has accepted a categorical assurance that the Eritrean government is free to establish a mission to the AU in Addis Ababa.

Eritrea and Ethiopia fought a bloody war between1998-2000 which killed 80,000 people. The conflict between the two countries started when the two neighbors disputed over the small border town of Badme.

Ping said the former chairperson had also informed Eritrea that it has the right to participate in AU sessions in Addis Ababa.

The AU chief was referring to a letter by the former Chairperson Alpha Omar Konare to the Eritrean government that its mission will be accredit only to the African Union, will not have or carry out bilateral activities and the staff will operate from Addis Ababa only where the AU headquarters is located.

The 14th African Union Summit voiced support to UN imposed sanction and condemned Asmara to its negative roles in regional stability.(Sudan Tribune)

Somalia

Mogadishu – African Union soldiers shot dead 11 camels in the Somali capital on Saturday night, mistaking the galloping animals for an insurgent attack, residents said.

Al Shabaab rebels sometimes use passing civilians and vehicles to give them cover before attacks, police said, and the peacekeepers from AMISOM mission thought they were behind the camels which ran past the entrance to Mogadishu’s airport.

“We thought Islamists and AMISOM were fighting last night, but this morning we just saw 11 dead camels,” resident Farah Aden told Reuters. “Each camel had at least 10 bullet wounds – the whole area was covered with blood.”

“We admit there was a mistake and we’ve spoken to the owners,” said Barigye Ba-hoku, spokesperson for the AU troops who face nearly daily attacks from hardline Islamist rebels.

“It was our new forces and they were not aware of the camels’ movements. They say they were attacked, and so opened fire,” he told Reuters.

Violence has killed more than 18 000 Somalis since the start of 2007 and displaced another 1.5 million. Insurgents who want to impose their own harsh version of sharia law have been battling the country’s Western-backed governments and AU forces. Source: (Reuters)