United Nations: The United Nations Security
Council is expected on Wednesday to slap an arms embargo on Eritrea
and impose targeted sanctions on its leaders for allegedly
aiding Somali rebels and threatening neighboring Djibouti.
Diplomats say the 15-member body will vote overwhelmingly
to pass a Ugandan-drafted resolution to ban weapons sales to
and from Eritrea and impose travel restrictions on, and freeze
the assets of, the country`s political and military leadership.
Libya, the lone Arab member of the council and the
current chair of the pan-continental African Union (AU) bloc,
is the only country expected to vote against the resolution or
abstain, they said to a news agency.
The draft demands that Asmara "cease all efforts to
destabilize or overthrow, directly or indirectly" the
Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in Somalia.
It urges member states to conduct inspections on their
territory, including seaports and airports, of "all cargo to
and from Somalia and Eritrea" if there is reasonable grounds
to believe it contains banned weapons or related material.
And it presses Eritrea to withdraw troops immediately
from disputed territories along its frontier with Djibouti and
engage in diplomatic efforts leading to "a mutually
acceptable" settlement of their long-running border dispute.
PTI
