Eritrean president says West against him

By Jeremy Clarke

ASMARA (Reuters) - Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki said on Wednesday that Western intelligence agencies and special interest groups were persecuting Eritrea by inventing lies, rumours and defamatory reports.

The Red Sea state, which has faced criticism in recent weeks from international diplomatic and humanitarian organisations, denied any wrongdoing.

"It's been the cause of the all problems we see all over the world ... it's a network of (Western) intelligence agencies that serve special interest groups globally," the long-serving Eritrean leader told Reuters in an interview.

"It is sometimes very perplexing for me. Why all these lies? Why do you have to go and cook such statistics and make statements about the reality in Eritrea when you don't even know what's going on in this country?"

Isaias, a former rebel commander in power since 1991, said he was unmoved by the criticism.

ERITREA MALNOURISHED?

The Food and Agriculture Organisation said in a report last week that Eritrea was dangerously underfed. The U.N. agency said as many as two in every three Eritreans were malnourished, something Isaias denied.

"It's not true, it's all lies. It's a fabrication," he said, adding that humanitarian organisations were motivated by the business opportunities crises and aid offer in other African countries.