Thursday, May 21, 2009
Following are key quotes:
GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS:
"The good thing about it is that the global economic situation is in the process of transformation."
"I have read a lot about bubbles. These are not real economies."
"It is a wake-up call to many who have been preaching ideals about the functioning of economies in their own ways and trying to substitute real economy for finance and speculation."
"We'll have to do our homework appropriately so that we can have a really functional and vibrant economy, rather than try to console me and tell me stories each day so I don't panic ... They will not save GM, they will not save Chrysler, they will not save Ford."
""People learn things the hard way sometimes."
"For us, it's a moral boost, because all the way, for the last 18 years, we've been focusing on the real economy -- roads, ports, airports, electricity, water supply, housing, services, health, education, food security. Not a single penny has been wasted."
"Improving the economy means improving the quality of life of the citizens. Governments would like to brag about their performance by manipulating or cooking statistics. It's a waste of time."
ERITREA'S MINING AND INVESTMENT POSSIBILITIES:
"Even without this financial meltdown, we've been saying let's not be misled that this gold is going to change everything."
"If you rush, you may be disappointed in a very short time. The flashy thing may be very attractive. It is not only mining, you can talk about tourism."
"The Norwegians would like to talk about 150 years from now. The Nigerians may want to exploit all their oil resources in 10 days or 10 hours or maybe 10 years, and that's it, you're finished. This is a resource of generations."
"You need to have a plan on how to improve the quality of life of the people, and any resource available will have to be used and utilised for achieving those goals."
"We don't want to attract investment when there is no environment for investment. We don't want to exaggerate and say we are the best place for investment."
DROUGHT:
"There is nothing called famine ... Yes, shortages in some areas."
"In comparison to the neighbours, I can say we are better off. I don't want to exaggerate on this. Yes, we have some areas that are badly-hit ... There is a lot of stress."
FOREIGN POLICIES:
* Ethiopian border dispute -- "Never relax."
* Obama government -- "It's too early to judge."
* Somalia -- "We don't interfere and we don't want to see any terrorism prevail in Somalia ... Leave this for the Somalis."
* Sudan's president, indicted over Darfur -- "Whether he is guilty until proven innocent, or innocent until proven guilty, is another matter ... This is a political case."
ERITREAN POLITICS:
* Cuba -- "I don't know Cuba but I admire the resilience. How were they able to do it?"
* How much longer in power? -- "I don't know ... You don't plan life."
"Someone may want to live in a palace with a swimming pool with heavenly things around. That becomes very boring to me."
"I have my own understanding of time. Someone may be sitting in a very comfortable chair for about three hours, and he may say that is very useful for him. I say that's a waste."
"What you need to do is create an environment for the collective to make a contribution ... I don't think it's a matter of succession."
"There is no one miracle coming from one direction, not at all ... There are no geniuses or one genius coming and doing things on behalf of everybody."
"We have a very powerful opposition and that is the CIA. It buys people, and you can find that kind of Eritrean anywhere."
"We are not children. We were not born yesterday. No one can educate us on what freedom means, and how this freedom should be exercised."
Source: Reuters, May 21, 2009