Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia hosts top U.S. diplomat on East Africa tour
The United States Department of State on Saturday announced that a top official on African Affairs was due to tour three East African countries between April 22 – April 26. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for African
The United States Department of State on Saturday announced that a top official on African Affairs was due to tour three East African countries between April 22 – April 26.
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Ambassador Donald Y. Yamamoto will start off his tour in Eritrea, head to Djibouti and round off his activities in Ethiopia.
He arrives in Eritrea today (April 22) with the three-day working tour according to the Department of State centering on “bilateral consultations with Eritrean government officials, to meet with the diplomatic community, and to visit the Embassy’s staff based in Asmara.
“He will then lead the U.S. delegation to the U.S.-Djibouti Binational Forum April 24-25 in Djibouti, our annual dialogue on matters of political, economic, assistance, and security cooperation,” the statement added.
Ambassador Yamamoto’s last stop will be in Ethiopia on April 26 where he is expected to meet with Ethiopian government officials to discuss shared interests and concerns.
The Horn of Africa region has been one that has continually engaged the attention of the United States. Its relation with Ethiopia has largely been premised on anti-terrorism combat and need for democratic reforms.
Eritrea, meanwhile, continues to slam the United Nationa Security Council and the United States in particular for the refusal to lift sanctions on Asmara over their purported support for Somalia insurgent group, Al Shabaab.
Djibouti on the other hand is seen as a key security ally of the West and other Asian giants, hosting a number of military bases. The U.S. also maintains special interest in Somalia where they continue to carry out air strikes against Al-Shabaab.
African News
Hidat April 24, 2018
ኣብ ቀርኒ ኣፍሪካ ሰላም ዘስፍን ምብጻሕ ይግበሮ
Gezae April 24, 2018
Diplomacy is often misunderstood for manipulating. But its actually responding to a situation on the situation needs. Not focusing on what is important to you. To yield the maximum of any give situation, to avoid conflicts, to maintain relationships, one has to be a diplomatic. Its an art of managing the situations and relations. Its more of negotiations and finding comfort on both the sides. No hurt. No loss.
Today diplomacy is called upon to help political and economic leaders to channel the global changes in an evolutionary, non-violent, democratic rule-based manner. One of its top priorities is facilitation of good governance, both on national and international levels. The prospect of good governance provides an opportunity for the renaissance of diplomacy which, throughout the centuries, played the role of an intermediary between governments and acquired a unique experience in this field. Now it has a chance to become an instrument of international governance. How can diplomacy cope with this new challenge?
However, recent years, many American officials have regarded withholding diplomatic relations as a way to punish countries for actions ranging from human rights abuses, to failure to abide by international law, to specific treaty violations and acts of war. But state-to-state relations among nations provide an essential framework for the conduct of foreign relations. Having no relations, and the resulting prolonged absence of a diplomatic presence in a country, seriously handicaps America’s ability to achieve major foreign policy and national security goals. Diplomatic relations should therefore always be maintained, unless security requires closing the embassy.
Those who argue that withholding relations can be used to correct a nation’s undesirable behavior do so under the belief that the boost in image and standing that comes from relations with the United States will lead the targeted nation to make the necessary sacrifices to regain recognition by the U. S. government. The problem with this line of thinking is that it usually doesn’t work.
In the meantime, the absence of diplomatic relations with a country of interest to the U.S. represents an almost-crippling obstacle to the successful pursuit of foreign policy goals. Why? No senior diplomatic presence on the ground means that important policy initiatives are sent through third parties or contacts in international organizations such as the U.N. Such indirect contact deprives the U.S. government of the capability for a resident ambassador to intervene in a crisis, to question and to listen — all so critical to diplomatic persuasion by a chief of mission speaking with the authority of the President.
Another serious disadvantage of shuttered embassies is that the U.S. government has no lower-ranking, language-proficient officers in the country, meaning no valuable eyes and ears moving around the country, observing and talking to its citizens. This core diplomatic skill can provide invaluable opportunities to develop trusted relationships, often the basis for informed reporting to Washington.
What’s more, re-establishing diplomatic relations is no simple matter for the Department of State. U.S. administrations have a great track record for painting themselves into a corner by curtailing relations with considerable brio, with the result that when it is in the national interest to resume normal relations, the path is blocked. Members of Congress or special interest groups have little difficulty finding reasons to insist that the culprit country first earn back recognition by renouncing past positions and unfriendly posturing.
The underlying view seems to be that if the subject country does not share American positions, and is unwilling to abandon hostile attitudes toward U.S. policies, then clearly it is not a country worthy of diplomatic relations with the United States. That appears to have been the prevailing U.S. attitude toward Iran in recent years.
But USA doesn’t have to like a country or admire its form of government to have diplomatic relations. Thus, in my own opinion it’s time to restore a more realistic, practical approach. USA should always maintain state-to-state relations, with diplomatic representation at the level most beneficial to U.S. national interests — whether ambassador, charge d’affaires or some other level. But the goal should be to keep American diplomats on the ground and in contact the government the people. Some to Eritrea.
AHMED SALEH !!! April 26, 2018
In world history USA government has been the protector of authoritarian and corrupted governments in underdeveloped countries until people’s uprising born .
ISSAYAS is under full control and might come with his playing card to convince AMERICA
his readiness for peace in our region .
But he also may demand for his share from their financial assistance policy funds
the same way they contribute toward ETHIOPIAN needs . Because if they want him
sign for lasting agreement to resolve border conflicts , he needs millions of dollars
to compensate the population forced in national service .
amanuel April 27, 2018
Iseyas was given millions to demobilize national services twice in the past if u remember ahmed. The first time he gave some certificates to women who had been already demobilized by themselves after concieving or due marriages. It was a complete deception to EU. Second one he did not even release a single person nor issued a certificate, just eate the money by offering void promise that the national service proclamation would be respected and every body was going to serve 18 months only. You remember berhane from the embassy in usa was holding meetings with community spreading that rumour as a news. It was meant to decieve the COI and the europe.
That said, i do not think iseyas will meet with usa officials unless he exactly knows what is in the agenda. He will send yemane (his right arm) to meet yammamoto to avoid direct questions related to his gross violation of human rights in eritrea.
rezen April 27, 2018
Let me add in addition to amanuel’s commentary. Any person who believes on what Issayas says and does must be the ultimate CLASSICAL IDIOT. Dear Readers, please note, I am NOT using the word IDIOT as a savage insult but in its deep meaning of ultimate INNOCENCE that ONLY GOD’s Creature(s) can have
Remember 1991 in Asmara: The ultimate euphoria, belief, adulation upon ONE CREATURE. Not a single Soul would have critical comment upon the only and only wedi Afom – equivalent to Human Saviour. Yes, Eritreans have always been known as the ultimate example of EMOTION studded people. It was only three years later that we started murmuring and soon we came to realize we are indeed under the complete domain of THE DEVIL. Too late to do anything but to fly away from every direction by any means available. What is so mysterious and amazing is that there are still Eritreans who believe in THE DEVIL!!! In any case, it is the ultimate characterization and destiny of Eritrea >>> always ‘colonized’ by every imaginable force. WE CAN’T HELP IT. IT IS IN OUR NATURE. Please, prove me wrong. THE END
zeregabir April 24, 2018
USA Policy “Open your pocket and leave me takte your belongings”.
Does Eritrea accept this selfishness?
Eritrea will be free from this rulling vagabonds but we will be keeping this policy—No explotation in Eritrea.
Haqu April 24, 2018
Only nations and people who have a tremendous respect to their own languages, identity, heritage and their ancestors can create a worthy and feasible nations. Anybody else is thrown in the dustbins of history as would-be-nation camp as slaves or abeeds of others.
To be counted as a worthy nation, respect your own centuries old history, identity and languages, and avoid bending for others living in a stone-age cultures and tradition across the sea.
Don’t worry if the some Abeeds bark back because they were trained to hate themselves and to honour their masters but not their own.
Fiseha April 25, 2018
ን መእገርገሪ ወዲ መድህን በራድሲ ክንዲ ፍረ ጣፍ ትኮውን Radio active platinum ተዳልያትሉላ
ኢሳያስ ኣብ ሃደ እዋን “ንመለስ አሜሪካያ ቀቲላቶ!” ኢሉ ነይሩ- ሂዚ ናይ አሜሪካ ፍቅሪ መጥፊኢቱ ምኳና ስለዝፈልጥ ንነብሱ ኣብ አዲ ሃሎ ሰዊሩ ተዋሳእቲዩ ኪልእክ!
rezen April 25, 2018
It is said that ‘a photo is equivalent to thousand words’. Indeed, Dear Readers, please take time to see the photo of Issayas above INENTLY for about 60 seconds or more. What do you read from his face with that sly smile?
For my part, I read: a) A face of extraordinary confidence; b) An amazement over the innocence of a hidden questioner in front of him; c) Wondering whether the innocent hidden person is really conscious of what he is saying; and finally d) Issayas contemplating where to send that innocent hidden person for eternity.
Issayas did what he set out to do with Eritreans & Eritrea – with extraordinary maneuvering, leading to absolute success. If it is sociologically and religiously acceptable to admire THE DEVIL, Issayas would be the epitome of excellence in his devilish scheme over the innocent Eritrean people. Eritrea, colony prone country, has never seen never seen such a treatment in its entire history
True to his prophesy, in a relaxed moment with a colleague over a couple of glasses of spirits, Issayas vouched ” ከርእየክን እዬ “ to the Eritrean people. And he did in broad day light — playing one society against the other and made them obedient servants to himself. Issayas can broadly boast that he succeeded to be the Master of the Eritrean people and, as in the legendary Frank Sinatra song, he ‘DID IT HIS WAY’. NOT a single challenge was against him in a country of five-six million people., which includes, of course, the world renowned Eritrean gallant fighters during a period of thirty years from 1961 to 1991. Amazing! how an entire country can be its own prisoners and executioners – including highly educated Scholars of the Highest Order with Doctor of Philosophy papers to prove that they too can be obedient servant of a Dictator who couldn’t make it after one year of University education. Wow! But then, we shouldn’t be surprised, remembering Idi Amin of Uganda and multitude of similar self-appointed masters.
And so, in tune with the world [as a consolation] we Eritreans who are used to string of colonial masters can take the knock of Issayas Afewerki and keep on EXISTING in our ‘independent’ misery in our own country and roaming around the Globe as other people do. It is natural consolation that will keep us busy establishing multitude of political/social parties, pretending (without the slightest embarrassment) to be emancipators of our beloved people under indigenous dictator for Life. But then here is a little story: A farsighted young Eritrean Lady confided to a visiting friend who lives abroad: “ንስኻትኩም ኢኹም ዝጎዳእኩምና” ። THREE SIMPLE WORDS, equivalent to three thousand. As an individual Eritrean, I bow to that Eritrean Lady, and accept my share of hypocrisy and guilt, as charged.
The damage has been done; the process of recovery is like detail planning to climb Mount Everest; the attainment of DREAM ERITREA, on the other hand, is a little less than hallucination.
Post Script. If I crossed some sort of forbidden line beyond acceptable freedom of writing, I would be very happy to be educated as to where and how I lapsed into the gutter. Thank you, in advance. It may even be a lesson to others.
AHMED SALEH !!! April 26, 2018
Long time ago , a young Eritrean male also said ” our people face enemies from
three fronts – WEYANE -HGDF – ERITREANS IN DIASPORA ” . That was the time
after Badme war when Issayas enjoyed popular support outside the country .