Official says political differences must be resolved

A senior Eritrean official has said that the leadership must quickly resolve the current differences within the government, Eritrean newspapers have reported. The head of political affairs of the ruling People’s Front for Democracy (PFDJ), Yemane Gebreab, was quoted as saying by ‘Keste Debena’ that the current priorities of the government were to “resolve the prevailing differences within the leaders” and to revitalise the country’s economy. Speaking in the capital, Asmara, to members of the Eritrean diaspora who had returned to take part in independence celebrations, he said that in the past the leadership had always resolved any disputes “miraculously”, and avoided any negative impact on ordinary Eritreans. He was reported as saying that he expected the leadership would resolve “the current minor problems promptly and in a similar way”. Yemane was also quoted as saying that the Eritrean government had begun talks with the World Bank on how best to demobilise some 200,000 soldiers. He said the United States, Canada, and the European Union had also shown an interest in taking part in the demobilisation process. The process would be a gradual one, and the Eritrean people should not expect all the soldiers to be demobilised at once, he added.