It should be recalled that Jendayi E. Frazier was behind the planning and execution of the December 2006 Ethiopian invasion of Somalia, for no other reason than to prevent an “Islamic Government” from being formed in Somalia. Ethiopia took this opportunity to install its puppet, the illegitimate Transitional National Government of Somalia led by Abdulahi Yusuf and Ali Mohammed Ghedi, in Mogadishu. The invasion has left thousands of Somalis dead and over 500000 have been displaced. It has created a humanitarian crisis unparalleled to any other emergency in the world today.

Instead of rectifying her mistakes and miscalculations in Somalia, in a futile attempt to divert attention from the chaos and mayhem created by Meles Zenawi, the leader of the mercenary minority regime in Ethiopia and Washington's “staunch ally” in the Horn, she is now trying to blemish Eritrea's international image by disseminating erroneous, manufactured facts about the Government and people of Eritrea. Her latest assault is on the Eritrean American Diasporan population which has rejected her unwarranted attacks on Eritrea, and has repeatedly questioned the coherency of the racist and Islam phobic US policy for the Horn of Africa, and how it compromises US' strategic interests in the area.

Before I address her briefing, allow me to share something that happened in the days leading up to it. I found out that Jendayi E. Frazier's office had sent out the following email:

“…Assistant Secretary of African Affairs Jendayi Frazer will brief the press on U.S.-Eritrea Relations Wednesday, August 15 at 3PM…The press conference call briefing will provide print media and key bloggers with an update on U.S.-Eritrea relations following the recent release of a U.N. report detailing the flow of weapons in the Horn of Africa…If interested, please contact me by Tuesday, August 14 for conference call-in information…”

On Monday, 13 August 2007 I called the office and spoke to a person (Jennifer) and told her that I wanted the call-in information. She told me she would get back to me with the information I wanted about the conference call barring there were no “access issues”. I told her that the Organization of Eritrean Americans (OEA) wanted to participate in the discussions with the Assistant Secretary. I was told to leave my name, phone number and email address and that someone would get back to me, I did.

I got a call later on that day and was referred to Sarah Jackson, Media Officer, presumably the author of the above email. Ms. Jackson told me that the conference call was not opened to the public. I told her that by inviting unknown “key bloggers” who had no “press credentials” and were not part of the US State Department Press Core, as far as I was concerned, made it a public discussion and Eritrean Americans had a right to participate even if we didn't receive an invite.

I told her that since at least one of the “key bloggers” that had been contacted was an American housewife, and since the issue to be discussed was US-Eritrean relations, it was important that the Organization of Eritrean Americans be allowed to participate. When asked why and who the “key bloggers” were, Sarah Jackson told me that they were considered “a type of media”. She told me that she had no time to talk, that she was in a meeting and hung up abruptly.

When I called her back later on that day, she told me that the conference call was going to be re-scheduled. I have not heard from her office to this date. I don't know if the Assistant Secretary had her conference call briefing with the select group of “bloggers”. My guess is that the vindictive Assistant Secretary was seeking to address a “friendly crowd” and the “conference call” with anonymous “key bloggers” was an attempt to use that medium to poison American public opinion and present Eritrea in a negative light, while covering up for her own incompetence and to downplay and cover up Ethiopia's violations of international laws, something she has endeavored to do ever since she came into office.

The 17 August 2007, on the record briefing is very telling of what her intentions had been all along-to vilify the Government and people of Eritrea and cover up for the US State Department's duplicity and hypocrisy, not to mention its incoherent and racist policy for Africa. Jendayi E. Frazier said that the purpose of the briefing was to address US-Eritrea relations, the issue of Somalia, the UN Monitoring Group's report, the Eritrea Ethiopia border issue etc. etc. For today, I will address the first issue, US-Eritrean relations and the recent closing of the Eritrean Consulate in Oakland, CA, which is, contrary to what the Assistant Secretary told her audience, just one in a long list of unprovoked and hostile actions taken against the people and Government of Eritrea by the US Administration.

In the 17 August 2007 briefing, addressing the issue of the closing of the Eritrean Consulate in Oakland Jendayi E. Frazier said:

“…essentially, this is a reciprocal action because of Eritrea's continued violations of the Vienna Convention and the continued restrictions on the U.S. Embassy personnel in Asmara, which interfere with the Embassy's ability to provide consular service, including support for American citizens throughout Eritrea…On the Vienna Convention, essentially, Eritrea continues to use -- to illegally detain Embassy diplomatic pouch bags and refuse to provide visas to temporary duty diplomatic support personnel for the last two years. We've consistently protested these restrictions to the Eritrean Government and requested that they be lifted, but the government has refused to address our concerns. And so we're taking this action as reciprocal action…”

Jendayi Frazier was deliberately confusing the issues. The restriction did not single out Americans; it required all foreigners living in Eritrea to get permission if they wanted to travel 25 kilometers outside Asmara. Eritrea is a small country and 25 kilometers can take you to remote villages. Unlike the US, none of the European, African or Asian States has taken similar actions against Eritrean Embassies in their countries. The security precautions expressed by Eritrea were understood and accepted, as they were no different from similar actions taken by other nations from time to time. Allow me to address the other issues raised by the Assistant Secretary.

Whereas the Government of Eritrea had already issued a visa to the US Embassy's new Visa Officer in Asmara, the US Embassy put a notice on its website claiming, “Non-immigrant visa services will resume as soon as staff are granted permission to travel to Eritrea to provide this service”. This erroneous and misleading notice, that was posted on the website remains there today. Eritreans are forced to travel to Nairobi or Cairo if they want to get visas to come to the United States and more often then not, they are denied visas after paying the fees and traveling all the way to those two cities.

What is even more puzzling is the US Embassy in Asmara notice to the Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs in November 2006 that “effective December 4, 2006, non-immigrant visa services will be temporarily suspended due to staffing shortages”. It says one thing on its website and something different in its official notice. The “staffing shortages” cannot be blamed on Eritrea as no Embassy staff was ever denied entry to Eritrea.

On the issue of the diplomatic pouches, again, Jendayi Frazier deliberately misrepresented the facts. At no time did Eritrea illegally detain diplomatic pouch bags. According to the Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

“…The controversy over diplomatic pouches has also been blown out of proportion. The two incidents arose when there were grounds to believe that the external markings of large crates that the US Embassy was bringing as “diplomatic pouches” were at variance with the contents. The containers were not however detained. The Embassy was requested to allow the Customs officials to open the containers in the presence of US Embassy personnel. When this was not granted, the Embassy was asked to take back the containers. This happened only on two occasions. The US Embassy has otherwise enjoyed unfettered access to bring hundreds of these containers. The US Embassy is in fact operating a relaying radio station from within the Embassy premises without notifying the Government of Eritrea or requesting operational permission for the equipment as expressly stipulated in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations…”

Again, the facts say that closing the Eritrean Consulate cannot be justified as a reciprocal action. Reciprocal action means that Eritrea had taken similar actions against the US Embassy in Asmara. The facts say they did not.

Exposing her arrogance and total disregard for diplomatic protocol, the condescending Jendayi E. Frazier also told the press core:

“…It does not mean that we are, in any way, PNGing Eritrean diplomats. They can, in fact, relocate to Washington, D.C. to the Eritrean Embassy in Washington, D.C…”

Now that is laughable considering the long list of incidents wherein Eritrean diplomats were indeed victims of “PNGing”, whatever that means, I call it harassment. Allow me to refresh Jendayi E. Frazier's memory:

• In January of this year, US security officers at New York's JFK airport conducted an unlawful search on Eritrea's Ambassador to the United Nations. The Ambassador was isolated from the other passengers and ordered to pass through a special search machine. His hand luggage was searched in a special spot, disregarding his Diplomatic Identification Card. The security officer in charge informed the Ambassador that the special search was an order from higher authorities. Furthermore, upon arrival in Asmara, the Ambassador discovered that his checked in baggage was forcefully opened and searched without his approval or presence. A “Notice of Inspection” was inserted inside his baggage in acknowledgement of the act. This is a clear violation of Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which clearly states, “Inspection shall be conducted in the presence of the diplomat or his authorized representative.
  
  
• Since 2001, Eritrean diplomats in Washington have been denied of their diplomatic privileges on tax exemption, in contravention of the provisions of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Eritrea did not take reciprocal action and US diplomats in Eritrea continue to enjoy their tax exemption privileges.
  
  
• On 13 April 2004, in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, US Homeland Officers raided the Eritrean Civic Community Center in Washington D.C. and forcefully confiscated money and documents from the Eritrean diplomatic agent at gunpoint. In spite of Eritrea's repeated requests and in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the US government continues to refuse returning the Embassy's property. No reciprocal action was taken by Eritrea.
  
  
• In September 2004, Eritrea's Minister of Foreign Affairs was strip searched by US Security officers at the airport in New York. No reciprocal action has been taken on any US diplomat in Asmara.
  
• The US embassy in Asmara delayed or refused to issue entry visas for numerous Eritrean senior government officials who sought to leave for the USA for official business. Officials denied visas include senior Government Ministers, and PFDJ officials. No reciprocal action was ever taken by Eritrea.
  
• Eritrean Cultural Groups, who have been the staple at the annual Eritrean Festivals, have been denied visas to enter the US. No reciprocal action taken by Eritrea.
  
• In November 2006, US authorities imposed travel restrictions on Eritrean Embassy members and their dependents in Washington DC and Oakland. Ever since, State Department officials almost routinely rejected most of the travel requests by the Ambassador and other Embassy staff.

So much for reciprocity à la Jendayi Frazier!

Not only is the closing of the Eritrean Consulate in Oakland unjustified, it is a calculated, racist, unwarranted assault on and a violation of the rights of Eritrean Americans and other Eritreans living legally and serving this country in various capacities throughout the federal government. It is an insult to the many Eritrean Americans that are serving proudly in our armed forces in Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq and more with their fellow Americans.

In future articles, I will address the fabrications and manufactured facts contained in the Somalia Monitoring Group's Reports, and show how the US State Department has worked to destabilize Eritrea through the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), USAID and its role in the coup attempt of 2001.

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