U.S. DEPARTMENT of STATE

Daily Press Briefing
Richard Boucher, Spokesman
Washington, DC
October 21, 2002

QUESTION: Last week, Richard, you put out a statement about human rights abuses in Eritrea and the arrests and continued detention without charges of two of your FSNs at the Embassy in Asmara. I don't know if you saw the Eritrean Foreign Ministry response on Friday, which was quite unusual, in which they accused the previous administration of using CIA operatives to try and overthrow the government and how they had hoped that they would have a new relationship with the new relationship here in Washington. And then he said that your statement from last week was just a sign that there was no goodwill, there was only ill will coming from Washington towards Asmara.

Do you have any comment on that reaction?

MR. BOUCHER: I'm afraid I didn't see the statement so I have no pithy comment for you. But I think we stand on solid ground in saying that you shouldn't arrest people like this and keep them for a year without trial or without any charges or without any justification. And second of all, it sadly fits the pattern that we noted last week that Eritrea has been arresting people around the country for -- with little reason.

QUESTION: So you're not aware of any attempt to overthrow the Government of Eritrea?

MR. BOUCHER: We have called on the government to change its ways, but no, we're not trying to overthrow it.

QUESTION: Well, it's a slow/fast pitch. We weren't trying to throw the Eritrean Government?

MR. BOUCHER: I said that.

QUESTION: All right. Thank you.

MR. BOUCHER: Thank you.

(The briefing was concluded at 1:55 p.m.)