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ELF-RC Holds Bilateral
Talks
With Eritrean Islamic
Congress
By
ELF-RC Office for Information and Culture
Leadership members of the ELF-RC and
the Eritrean Islamic Congress (EIC) on 28 March 2007 conducted talks
at the ELF-RC office in Khartoum in which they discussed bilateral
relations and recent developments in the Eritrean arena.
The Eritrean Islamic Congress (EIC),
which initiated the meeting, was represented at the talks by Sheikh
Hassan Salman, the newly elected chairman of the organization, and
leadership members Adem Iman and Siraj Suleiman. Representing the ELF-RC
side were the chairman, Woldeyesus Ammar; the vice chairman, Tesfai
Woldemichael (Degiga), and the ELF-RC head for social affairs, Gime
Ahmed.
The two sides discussed current
developments affecting Eritrea and its people and saw urgent importance
continuing dialogue among all forces that struggle for change and
democratization in Eritrea. Both sides also regretted that a split
occurred in the Eritrean Democratic Alliance at this crucial moment in
the struggle for change.
The Islamic Congress believed that
the crisis that erupted in the EDA was ‘unjustified’ because there was
no need to violate the long established rule conducting business through
consensus or near consensus. Sheikh Hassan Salman, reiterated his trust
in the ELF-RC which he describes as “an organization that talks also for
others at all times”, and hoped that a working formula be devised to
repair the split in the seven-year old alliance in which he was one of
the founding members.
Sheik Salman was elected chairman of
the EIP in its congress that was wound up on 23 March 2007. The congress
resolved, among other things, that implementation of Islamic state is
not appropriate in the present Eritrean setting and it was removed from
their constitution. The EIC delegation will be contacting opposition
organizations for a coordinated struggle. Eritrea. It is to be recalled
that Sheikh Salman was the deputy leader of the Eritrean People’s
Congress (The Islamic Islah Movement) until his faction split a year ago
from the Islah Movement headed by Abu Suheil.
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