Eritrean president accuses Ethiopia of creating illusive excuses
Source: BBC Monitoring Africa
Publication date: 2003-12-01


Text of report by Eritrean radio on 1 December

President Isayas Afewerki last night returned to Asmara after concluding a visit to Italy that started on 19 November.

In a briefing he gave to reporters about his visit, President Isayas Afewerki said meetings that had been going on with Italian partners and investors to fulfil Eritrea's development programmes and to develop its capacity to exploit its natural resources, had reached their final stage and would be implemented in the next 12 months. President Isayas said investment agreements had been signed on, among others, infrastructure, fishery, construction of marble, boulder, cement and ceramic processing firms, and development of tourist sites and irrigation projects to speed up agricultural programmes.

He said an agreement was also reached with an Italian construction firm called Ital Country [phonetic] to alleviate the prevailing housing problem in our country, as a continuation of the construction projects being undertaken by Korean and Chinese [firms], adding that the project was already being drafted.

Regarding the diplomatic campaigns by the Eritrean government to expose the weyane [Ethiopian] regime's deception to hinder the border demarcation, President Isayas stated that the meetings had proved to be fruitful in uncovering the truth. He affirmed that the Eritrean government would tirelessly continue to carry out such political, diplomatic and legal processes to expose the attempts by the weyane government to hoodwink the international community by creating illusive excuses.

Publication date: 2003-12-01