government [ISAIAS
Afworki, PETROS Solomon]; note - the National Assembly has appointed
a committee to draft a law on political parties

Political pressure groups and leaders: Eritrean Islamic Jihad or
EIJ; Eritrean Liberation Front or ELF [ABDULLAH Muhammed]; Eritrean
Liberation Front-Revolutionary Council or ELF-RC [Ahmed NASSER];
Eritrean Liberation Front-United Organization or ELF-UO [Mohammed
Said NAWD]

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO,
IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat
(nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
GIRMA Asmerom

chancery: 1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 319-1991

FAX: [1] (202) 319-1304

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
William D. CLARKE

embassy: Franklin D. Roosevelt Street, Asmara

mailing address: P. O. Box 211, Asmara

telephone: [291] (1) 120004

FAX: [291] (1) 127584

Flag description: red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side)
dividing the flag into two right triangles; the upper triangle is
green, the lower one is blue; a gold wreath encircling a gold olive
branch is centered on the hoist side of the red triangle

Eritrea Economy

Economy - overview: With independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993,
Eritrea faced the economic problems of a small, desperately poor
country. The economy is largely based on subsistence agriculture,
with 80% of the population involved in farming and herding. The
small industrial sector consists mainly of light industries with
outmoded technologies. Domestic output (GDP) is substantially
augmented by worker remittances from abroad. Government revenues
come from custom duties and taxes on income and sales. Road
construction is a top domestic priority. In the long term, Eritrea
may benefit from the development of offshore oil, offshore fishing,
and tourism. Eritrea's economic future depends on its ability to
master fundamental social and economic problems, e.g., by reducing
illiteracy, promoting job creation, expanding technical training,
attracting foreign investment, and streamlining the bureaucracy.
Eritrea's agriculture over the last two years was severely weakened
by war and drought, and many farmlands must wait to be demined.
Another major dif