Focus - US-Eritrea military ties

Plans to build a formal military relationship between the United States and Eritrea are being blocked by the detention of two Eritreans, who work for the US embassy in Asmara, according to western diplomatic sources. The two men, employees of the embassy’s political and economic affairs office, have been held without charge since October last year. They were arrested hours after the US released a statement which criticised Eritrea’s government for its clampdown on political dissent. The Eritrean government has stated the two incidents were not related and that the men were arrested on matters of national security. "They are neither generals, nor diplomats, nor American citizens living in Eritrea. Military ties with the US cannot depend on them," Teweldemedhin Tesfamariam, Eritrea's deputy ambassador to Kenya, told IRIN. The US government has repeatedly asked that the two, Ali Alamin and Kiflom Gebre Michael, be released and is continuing to monitor their situation closely from Washington and Asmara. MILITARY TIES "MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL" A formal military relationship between the US and Eritrea would be of mutual benefit, according to regional analysts. The US considers Eritrea, with its 600-mile coastline on the Red Sea and common border with the Sudan, a key frontline state in the war against terrorism. Eritrea has affirmed its commitment to that war, and is anxious to avoid instability in the region. Michael Westphal, a senior Pentagon African affairs official, recently acknowledged America’s strategic interests in the region. "I can see a lot of benefits from us having a more formalised relationship with Eritrea, military-to-military. But there isn't anything that is decided,” he said. The US sees both Eritrea and neighbouring Ethiopia as a potentially stable axis in the region, compared to such countries as Somalia and the Sudan. Senior US military planners, including the commander of the US Central Command, General Tommy Franks, have made recent visits to Eritrea and have held "positive contingency discussions" with the government although no formal requests have yet been made, diplomatic sources say. The US has previously had a military presence in Eritrea. After World War II, it established a naval repair base at the port of Massawa and an intelligence post in Asmara. However these have both been closed for years. "NEW OPTIONS" The US government has confirmed that concern over the human rights situation in Eritrea, as well as the country’s two-year border dispute with Ethiopia, have limited previous attempts to forge new military ties. But Westphal said the recent settlement of the border dispute meant that new options were now being considered. "My hope is that, now that we've had the border commission make their decision dealing with the border, this can be demarcated, and we can hopefully put this war behind us," he said. "We can look to Ethiopia, as well as Eritrea as future, potential partners." At present, US defence relations with both countries are limited to small exchange programmes for what the Pentagon describes as International Military Education and Training.