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Eritrea criticizes US decision to provide weapons to Somalia
ADDIS ABABA, Jun 29, 2009 (Sudan Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Eritrea during the weekend criticized the decision of the US Administration provide weapons to Somalia's beleaguered government in a first visible support to Mogadishu from Washington.
Washington on Thursday announced its decision to send an "urgent supply" of weapons and ammunition to Mogadishu at the request of embattled government as the insurgent groups increased their attacks on the positions of the loyal troops and the African peacekeepers.
"At the request of that government, the State Department has helped to provide weapons and ammunition on an urgent basis," said Ian Kelly, the spokesperson of the State Department on June 25.
"This is to support the Transitional Federal Government's efforts to repel the onslaught of extremist forces which are intent on destroying the Djibouti peace process," he added.
The delivery of arms to the Somalia government "is devoid of any legitimacy and whose control does not extend beyond few neighborhoods in Mogadishu," said the Eritrean foreign ministry in a statement released on Saturday.
It also said that the US past interventions or supply of weapons did not help to bring stability in Somalia adding "A repeat of those measures will not produce positive results but only aggravate and prolong the crisis."
Eritrea is accused by the Somali government of supporting the hard-line Islamist insurgents like Al-Shebab and Hizbul Islam. Also Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, an insurgent leader who returned to Mogadishu recently from Asmara where he was established, admitted that Eritrea supported them in their fight to topple the Somali government.
Eritrea was blamed by the African Union which called on the UN Security Council to sanction it for supporting the Islamist rebels.
Kelly also said "we are very concerned about the role of Eritrea. We think they are providing material support, including financing, to some of these extremist groups, most particularly Al-Shebab."
"I want to emphasize that we remain open to trying to improve relations with Eritrea, but that this country's support, Eritrea's support for Al-Shebab and other extremist groups is a serious obstacle to any improvement that we can make."
However Eritrea denies supporting Al-Shebab or Hizbul Islam.
The Eritrean foreign ministry said Asmara has the "right and obligation" to extend its "moral and political support to the people of Somalia."
Since last May some 300 people were killed, many of them civilians. Also hundreds of thousands fled their home over the past three years of violence.
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