[Video] Time To Lift Eritrea Sanctions?

Extracts from Statements of some UNSC Member States

-Mr. Ramírez Carreño (Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela)

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela abstained in the voting on resolution 2317 (2016), for we believe that the part referring to Eritrea, as presented to us, is unfair. ….In the case of Eritrea, sanctions should have a clear road map towards a conclusion. By maintaining prolonged sanctions, as we are currently doing, there is no political purpose beyond serving the national interests of members of the Council or of regional situations that, as bilateral issues between countries…

-Mr. Wu Haitao (China), Proposal submitted at the Resolution drafting process

(Operative paragraph 33): Acknowledging that during the course of its current and two previous mandates the SEMG has not found any evidence that the Government of Eritrea is supporting Al-Shabaab, requests the SEMG to present a report to the Committee within 120 days on recommendations of lifting sanction measures imposed to Eritrea, including benchmarks and timeframe on lifting the sanctions.

-Mr. Lucas (Angola)

Regarding Eritrea, it should be noted that, for the third consecutive year, the Monitoring Group has found no evidence of Eritrean support to the Somali terrorist group Al-Shabaab. The sanctions regime has proven to be fruitful, but it must be terminated when the reasons for its establishment no longer exist.

-Mr. Iliichev (Russian Federation)

In its reports three years in a row, the Monitoring Group concluded that there was no evidence of Eritrea providing assistance to Al-Shabaab and that the border dispute with Djibouti has been settled through Qatar’s mediation. Allegations that Eritrea is allegedly supporting regional armed groups are uncorroborated. It therefore looks as if the reasons that led to the need to impose sanctions simply no longer exist. The sanctions regime against Eritrea has not taken that into account, and they have remained unchanged. In that regard, perhaps the time has come to draw up a road map for the gradual lifting of sanctions against Eritrea, as suggested by a number of delegations in the course of work on the resolution.

-Mr. Aboulatta (Egypt)

I would like briefly to explain the reasons that prompted my delegation to abstain in the voting on resolution 2317 (2016)….. We think that clearer criteria should be used when the Security Council takes the necessary steps to review the sanctions imposed against Eritrea…

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