| Jendayi Frazer, Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, FULL STREAMING VIDEO, participates in a special press briefing to discuss her recent trip to Africa and the crisis in Sudan. ASSISTANT SECRETARY FRAZER: I think it's a couple of questions, right? (Laughter. |
ASSISTANT SECRETARY FRAZER: Well, I think it's important that we get back on to the political process. I think it's very clear that the key to solving the situation in Somalia and stabilizing it is to have this inclusive dialogue, and so trying to get the Transitional Federal Government to reach out to the various clans and sub-clans is a large part of our diplomacy.
The issue of Eritrea is one that I would say that the region needs to take some responsibility for -- the African Union, IGAD and the neighboring countries -- that Eritrea has not been playing a constructive role in Somalia because they continue to fund, arm, train and advise the insurgents, especially the al-Shabab militia. And so trying to get Isaias Afworki to work constructively I think is going to be extremely important for the region to try to achieve.
Yes.
QUESTION: Are you satisfied with the role Ethiopia is playing? I mean, they seem to be -- it's an awfully heavy-handed role, military role, that they're doing in these current battles in the capital. I mean, would you like to see that ease a bit?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY FRAZER: Well, we definitely continue to urge all sides to have a ceasefire and we know that Ethiopia is very quietly working very closely with especially the Hawia clan and the Transitional Federal Government to negotiate a long-term ceasefire. So on the one hand, absolutely we're concerned about the loss of civilian life in a military conflict between the al-Shabab insurgents, the Transitional Federal Government and Ethiopian forces. No doubt about it. We're very concerned. We're pushing for the ceasefire and for those discussions to bear fruit so that they can end this violence.
QUESTION: Can I ask a Sudan question, actually? One thing I didn't -- I wanted to ask the Deputy Secretary. There were some accounts here that President Bush was ready to go forth with the sanctions package the day of the speech at the Holocaust memorial and that Ban Ki-moon came back at the last minute and said, "I need a few more weeks." Is that a true account, you know, that Bush was ready to go forward?
And also, one question he didn't answer was what does Ban Ki-moon think he can get done in the next couple of weeks. Are his intentions -- are Bashir's intentions -- does Ban Ki-moon see his intentions differently?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY FRAZER: Well, I think that -- well, we were on the road, of course, when the discussions were taking place here, but it's clear that Ban Ki-moon asked for more time for his diplomacy to progress and that I think that it's -- the belief is that Ban Ki-moon is hoping that due to the negotiation process that he's had with the Government of Sudan, the AU and the UN that this heavy support package that was agreed to will actually be implemented. Now the next step, as the Deputy Secretary said, is to get the Government of Sudan to quickly also agree to the hybrid force itself.
And so that's where we are in the negotiation process and I think that's probably what Ban Ki-moon is trying to work out right now.
QUESTION: Do you think Ban Ki-moon sees the intentions of President Bashir differently than the United States?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY FRAZER: No, I think that we all are in a situation where you've got to test the agreements that they make. I don't think that he sees the intentions differently. I think that he's in the position as the head of the UN to try to negotiate. He's one of the implementing partners; the UN, the AU need to negotiate with President Bashir.
QUESTION: What do you think the international community should be doing to resolve the situation in Somalia and to push the process along and to encourage reconciliation? And why do you think the conflict in Somalia has not attracted, for example, the same kind of attention as Darfur and other areas? What's behind that lack of action?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY FRAZER: Well, there's not a lack of action on Somalia. I think that it's very clear what needs to happen to try to stabilize Somalia. First and foremost, as I said, there needs to be a political process in place and we're trying to get the Transitional Federal Government to reach out to the various clans and to have this national reconciliation congress that will lead to greater legitimacy within the Transitional Federal Government. As you know, the Transitional Federal Government was established in a 4.5 formula in Nairobi. There were all clans represented in the Transitional Federal Government, but there may need to be some greater process that through the congress, the dialogue, to have representatives that are now even more legitimate from their communities. And so that's clearly necessary.
At the same time that you have this political process, you have to stabilize the security front. And that's where trying to deploy African forces or UN forces is going to be essential, trying to get in some forces that could help stabilize. The challenge there is that there are these insurgents, these al-Shabab militia that are trying to undermine both the political dialogue as well as the security situation. They include -- that includes targeting Hawia leadership that are trying to reach out. They're actually trying to spoil this process of political dialogue and reconciliation.
And then finally, it's very clear that there is a humanitarian crisis coming out of the conflict that's taking place in Mogadishu and trying to get assistance to the people of Somalia as soon as possible, and we're working both with the Transitional Federal Government, with UN agencies and with the Ethiopians and the Ugandans who are there to try to make -- to facilitate access to get that assistance to the people.
QUESTION: Do you think that that humanitarian crisis is rising to a similar level as, say, the one in the mid-1990s? Are you concerned that you may be going down that road?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY FRAZER: I'm concerned that we need to get the political process on track and that that is the key. And until you can stabilize the security situation, it's very difficult to have this national dialogue. I think that most of the people who move out of the city I understand are on the outskirts of the city so can move home fairly quickly. So I think that it's a situation that's containable but there are committed spoilers who have to be dealt with so that those who are more moderate and are seeking dialogue will be able to come to the fore.
QUESTION: Can I just ask one brief thing about Eritrea? Is it your -- have you come to any conclusion about what Isaias' calculation is here? Is he just doing this to, you know -- I don't know the right word -- just to bother the Ethiopians, or is there something more nefarious at hand here? Have the Eritreans decided to become a supporter of extremism -- extremist Muslim groups?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY FRAZER: I haven't actually spoken to Eritrean officials and so I think that I can only assume what Eritrea's calculation is. It's not through direct dialogue with the Eritreans themselves. But very clearly, Eritrea has played a game of trying to oppose Ethiopia everywhere in the region and that probably fundamentally goes back to addressing the issue of the border. I do not believe that Eritrea has taken a position of supporting extremists as a sort of ideological orientation or a common interest with extremist elements across the region. I think that they're also supporting rebels in Darfur for the same reason, which is to try to block any Ethiopian action in Ethiopia rapprochement with the Government of Sudan. So I think it's about balancing Ethiopia's interests. But that said, that's an analysis not based on direct dialogue with the Eritreans.
QUESTION: Has any one suggested to them that this might -- while it may be they may see it in their short term, medium term interest as a buffer to Ethiopia that long term this is really going to get them in a whole lot of trouble or have you been completely blocked out from any talks with the senior Eritrean leadership?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY FRAZER: Everybody has suggested it to them. Many of the countries that are in a regular dialogue with the Eritreans have definitely suggested it to them.
QUESTION: Who, the Sudanese?
ASSISTANT SECRETARY FRAZER: I'm not so sure about the Sudanese, but many of the neighboring countries have done so.
QUESTION: Thank you.
2007/317, Released on April 23, 2007
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