• Prime Minister Meles meets investors and recognizes successful  farmers in Oromia Regional State

• Eritrea disapproves  Secretary General's  plans to facilitate talks

• Somalia's New Prime Minister making consultation with all actors

• Incident, of Eritrea's making: Ministry

• Ethiopia protests, Al-Ahram Weekly

·        Prime Minister Meles has urged entrepreneurs in the textile and garment sector to improve the quality of their products to increase competitiveness in the global market. In one of his periodic consultations with businessmen this week, the Prime Minister stressed the need to get rid of any impediments to raising standards. Development in the sector, he said, was hampered by a failure to deliver the standards foreign customers demand; there was also a lack of innovation in the promotion of products. To address these limitations, Prime Minister Meles said the management of firms, and the employees, needed to improve their overall production activities. He said the government could help by enhancing the capacity and competitive edge of the sector, though he noted that indefinite protection would only undermine the capacity of the sector to be competitive in world markets. At the moment investors in the sector are eligible for tax benefits over the acquisition of machineries and other in-puts considered necessary for the textile and garment industry. The Prime Minister called upon investors in the sector to identify their most pressing problems and to forward their recommendations to tackle them. He also pledged to extend the Government's fullest support to encourage investors in cotton development. 

As part of the government's initiatives to encourage participation and raise the sense of ownership in the country's on-going social and economic transformation, in the spirit of Ethiopian Renaissance, Prime Minister Meles this week also held discussions with members of the Advisory Council and Women's Forums of the city of Addis Ababa. Acknowledging that the Addis Ababa Caretaker Administration had certain shortcomings due to its origin as an emergency administration, the Prime Minister emphasized the need to lay a proper basis for good governance. He said the City Administration functioned more as a group of individual professionals carrying out separate administrative mandates without having the backing of a party. The Prime Minister assured participants, drawn from the 99 neighborhood associations of the capital, that the Government would be taking further measures to minimize the impact of price rises on essential consumer goods. The Prim Minister further emphasized that the government was also looking at ways to address the shortage of transport in the capital, focusing particularly on the possibility of importing medium-size buses and as a lasting solution at the use of trains to link different parts of the city. Addressing housing problems would also be another government priority, but he said the Government would not tolerate illegal development and would deal with any malpractice in land administration. The Prime Minister took the opportunity to pledge every assistance to consumer associations. These, he said, should be organized and owned by the people to ensure continuity and competent management as well as public support. The Prime Minister also stressed that the Government had plans to synchronize efficiency with capacity building significantly in order to bring about much desired service delivery by public institutions.

On Sunday, the Prime Minister honored achievements of farmers from the Oromia Regional State. Celebrating the achievements of over 500 people with the presentation of medals, the Prime Minister congratulated the recipients, including farmers and government functionaries, for the efforts which, he said, had brought about tangible changes in rural life. Ethiopia, he said, has seen an average economic growth rate of 10 percent over the past five years; much of the gains made were the result of concerted efforts to improve productivity in agriculture. Recently, the booming construction sector and other services, generating thousands of new jobs, have been closing up on the traditional sources of revenue, but agriculture is still the mainstay of the economy. Commending the outstanding achievement of farmers, the Premier said special thanks and honors should go to those who had actually made the seemingly remote possibility, of a farmer becoming a millionaire, a reality. Speaking on the same occasion, the President of the Oromia Regional State, Abadula Gemeda, attributed the ongoing transformation in the life of the farmers to the government's policies and strategies. These had encouraged the move away from subsistence farming to embrace market-oriented agriculture by giving precedence to improved quality and quantity of production. He said that some 255 trainers for these improvement schemes had been given scholarships at Jimma University and at Ambo Agricultural College. They would further bolster the skills needed to maintain the momentum of change in the livelihood of farmers. Currently, more than 15,000 development agents are engaged in speeding up development endeavors in the Oromia Regional State. At the ceremony, investors, research institutions and local administrative bodies were also given awards in recognition of their contribution towards the alleviation of poverty.

§       In a letter dated December 21,  2007, addressed to  the Secretary General of the United Nations, the President of Eritrea repeated Eritrea's displeasure over the way the UN has been handling the Ethio-Eritrea issue.  It is obvious  that Eritrea has refused to  proceed to the demarcation of the boundary. Instead, it continues to claim that  the boundary issue has been settled and that Ethiopia is occupying Eritrean territory. The letter disapproves  the Secretary General's  plans to appoint a Special Representative for Ethiopia and Eritrea. The Eritrean President  said this was "out of consonance with the reality at hand" and were no more than "dilatory and unlawful" that "can only exacerbate the situation." Here, it is particularly significant to highlight the Eritrean claim that demarcation has already been completed and that its sovereign  territory has been occupied.  Obviously, the question of transfer of territory can only arise once valid demarcation has been undertaken and boundary pillars placed along the boundary line. Moreover, it is Eritrea that has practically nullified the separation of forces by occupying the Temporary Security Zone. It has restricted UNMEE's activities to the point of virtually taking it hostage. It has continued to coordinate the actions of terrorist groups intended to destabilize the region. Eritrea's latest letter, like previous public statements, do not reflect commitment to the peaceful resolution of the dispute between the two countries. Despite all these, Ethiopia, nevertheless, remains fully committed to peaceful resolution of the conflict under the Algiers Agreements and accepted international practice.

·         The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made it clear that the Eritrean allegation of an Ethiopian attack across the border on Wednesday was "pure fabrication". In a press statement issued on December 27, the Ministry said that  the incident was  of Eritrea's making, not that of Ethiopia's. The Ministry also suggested that it was possible that the incident might have been the result of an accidental encounter between two reconnaissance missions.  It underlined that the matter will be looked in to. The Ministry's statement pointed out that Ethiopia had no reason to provoke Eritrea. The statement underlined that  Ethiopia has said time and again that it wants to settle the dispute with Eritrea peacefully using any mechanism that may be available. On the other hand, it said it is in fact Eritrea that has been claiming that its sovereign territory has been occupied by Ethiopia. Eritrea has refused to recommit  itself to refrain from the threat and use of force, a commitment that both parties entered into under the Algiers Agreements of 2000.  It concluded by saying that Ethiopia hoped that the statement by Eritrea is only a fabricated story which is not a cover to any other sinister motive.  

§        There is in the last few days a visibly improved security situation in Somalia in general, and Mogadishu in particular. There is a feeling of hope  in the air, as well as high expectations with respect to the  new cabinet which is being set up. This is a feeling shared by more and more Somalis at home and in the Diaspora. This is partly generated by the  way the new Prime Minister is handling consultations with all actors. There appears to be eagerness within the various sectors of the Somali society for a chance to be   included in the new cabinet. Many parliamentarians also feel that Somalia now has its best opportunity to date to establish an effective and acceptable executive branch. By contrast, the international media and NGOs involved in humanitarian activities in Somalia have continued to portray a bleak picture  of  the situation in Somalia.  This included exaggerated claims regarding the  number of  refugees and displaced people. The  displacement of anybody by war is a real concern, and there is no doubt that there is a real humanitarian need in Somalia. On the other hand, it is not clear what good purpose  exaggeration of the magnitude of the crises in Somalia would serve, apart from propagating the view that Somalia would continue to be a basket case. In this respect, recently the Transitional Federal Government, in collaboration with UN agencies involved in handling day to day refugee matters  in and around Mogadishu, counted the number of displaced between Mogadishu and Afgoye. The figure was 44,182. Despite this, UN agencies and the media in Nairobi continue to claim that there are half a million or more refugees and displaced between the two points. John Holmes, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, repeated this figure when briefing the Security Council on 6 December 2007 on his recent mission to the region. He said, "the UN estimates that more than half of the city has been emptied of its citizens, or of 600,000 people altogether". This is simply not the case. The conflicts in Mogadishu have affected only three out of the city's sixteen districts. This amounts to less than a quarter of Mogadishu.

Ethiopia's year in Somalia

§      This week was the first anniversary of the arrival of Ethiopian troops in Mogadishu. Ethiopia's help was originally requested by the Somali Government, the Transitional Federal Government, the legitimate and recognized government, to help deal with the aggression of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU). The ICU seized power in Mogadishu in June last year. It then forcefully took control of Kismayo and other towns, allied with Eritrea gaining significant quantities of arms, refused to talk to the TFG in the Khartoum talks, declared a jihad against Ethiopia, attempted to revitalize Somali irredentist claims to Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya, and finally advanced on the seat of the TFG at Baidoa. Following the rapid defeat of the ICU and its collapse in late December, 2006, Ethiopian forces moved into Mogadishu  originally at the request of the committee of Hawiye clan elders. Since then, TFG security forces, with the aid of Ethiopian troops have carried out a series of successful actions against Al-Shabaab terrorists in Mogadishu. Major security operations in March and April, and again in October and November, have removed most of the terrorist cells in the city. The security situation has markedly improved over most of the city, though isolated incidents continue

The cost of these successes has not been negligible, including  civilian casualties, targeted by terrorists or caught in cross-fire. Thousands of residents in the three  most affected of Mogadishu's sixteen districts have also fled the fighting. With food shortages from last year's flooding and this year's poor rains, the humanitarian crisis has been intensified by terrorist activity, by the failure of NGOs to co-operate with the TFG over distribution, and by the deliberate attempt of former ICU leaders and Al-Shabaab commanders to create obstacles to the successful implementation of humanitarian efforts. One ICU leader, Sheikh Sharif, now in Asmara, made it clear that opposition activity would not be stopped, even to help food distribution. The humanitarian situation has not been assisted  by the serious exaggerations by UN and international agencies in the numbers of displaced people, (to which Prime Minister Meles drew attention last week), nor by the apparent refusal of senior UN officials to accept, or publicise, the UN's own figures. The UN, and the TFG, actually counted the numbers of displaced people along the Afgooye-Mogadishu road in early December. They found no more than 44,000 in the ad hoc settlements and villages along the road, rather than the over-200,000 consistently claimed by agencies and journalists. Similarly, the real numbers of those who have fled from Mogadishu over the last year are no more than 60,000 to 80,000, not the over-600,000 consistently claimed by ICU supporters, journalists in Nairobi and international agencies. 

In August, the TFG held a successful National Reconciliation Congress in Mogadishu. This has done a great deal to resolve long-standing inter-clan disputes, the necessary precursor for political reconciliation in Somalia. The new Prime Minister, Nur Hassan 'Adde', is now working on a new cabinet, and is expected to produce the names for a small and leaner body of no more than 18 to 20 names shortly. The government, despite opposition claims to the contrary, has done a considerable amount to bring back some normality to Mogadishu, re-opening police stations and schools, organizing garbage collection, and other steps; it has also managed to oversee the creation of elected administrations for the regions of Bay and Bakool. Sporadic incidents have taken place in a number of other towns but with support from most regions and the elders of most clans, the TFG's position has actually continued to strengthen.

Two major disappointments remain. One is the failure of the opposition to respond to overtures from the TFG and, particularly over the last few weeks, from Prime Minister Nur Hassan 'Adde'. Indeed, efforts to bring opposition elements into the Transitional Federal Institutions, into Parliament or the Government itself, have made little progress. Quietly, some discussions have taken place, but any public suggestions of talks have continued to be strongly rebuffed by former ICU leaders in Eritrea. Eritrea, unfortunately, has continued its efforts to destabilize Ethiopia by hosting Somali opposition leaders by its continued support for Al-Shabaab terrorists, and by welcoming Al-Shabaab leaders including Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys. With breath-taking hypocrisy, Eritrea, despite contributing so largely to the problems of Somalia by its gratuitous support for the ICU and its arming of terrorist elements to fight the TFG, has also continued to criticize Ethiopia for responding to the Government of Somalia's request for assistance.

Secondly, the international community have failed to give the necessary support to the AU to help provide the promised 8,000 strong AU force to replace Ethiopian troops in Mogadishu. This has meant Ethiopian troops have had to remain in Somalia far longer than originally anticipated. At the beginning of this week the first two hundred Burundi troops arrived in Mogadishu. Another 1,500 more will arrive shortly, to bring the Burundi contingent up to two battalions, 1,700 troops; and a Nigerian battalion of 700 will arrive within the next two or three months. Together with the 1,600 Ugandans already in Mogadishu this will bring the AMISOM force up to around 4,000. However, this will remain insufficient to provide enough security to allow Ethiopia to withdraw its forces. Last Sunday, the AU Peace and Security Council issued another appeal to the international community to provide greater will and resources to strengthen AMISOM. The Council will meet again in mid-January to discuss the future of the AU force. " 

§       Our readers might find the following piece of interest. This is a response by the Ethiopian Embassy in Cairo to an outrageous article by Ramzy Baroud published in  the  Al Ahram weekly on 15 November, 2007. Following is the full text of the response:

    Ethiopia Protests

The Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to the Arab Republic of Egypt would like to bring to your attention the article published on 15 November under the title 'Emergency Somalia' by Ramzy Baroud. The article is studded with errors, from the extraordinary assertion that Ethiopian forces have wreaked havoc in Mogadishu, to the idea that Britain gave the "Ogaden province" of Somalia to Ethiopia after World War II. This presumably refers to the part of Eastern Ethiopia, the Haud, taken over in 1941 by Britain during the war against Italy. It was returned to Ethiopia in 1956 and is now part of Ethiopia's Somali Regional State. It was never part of Somalia.

This attempt to portray Ethiopia as a colonial power is incomprehensible. Ethiopia has the longest record of independence in Africa. It is, rightly, proud of its anti-colonial reputation, its long support for the anti-colonial struggle in Africa, and its commitment to respect and indeed defend the rights and sovereignty of others. It is equally proud of its role in the founding of the Organisation of African Unity and in the part it has played in the OAU and the African Union.

Equally, to argue that the civil wars in Somalia, which actually began much earlier than 1991 when Siad Barre was expelled, were largely the result of foreign intervention, and subsequent "colonial intervention", demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of Somali politics and clan interests and of recent Somali history.

On the more recent events, Mr Baroud is equally inaccurate. The Islamic Courts Union did not bring stability to "much" of the country. It imposed itself by force on Mogadishu, and then set out on a process of military expansion. It made no attempt to engage in dialogue, refusing to participate in Arab League- sponsored talks in Khartoum. It threatened to attack Baidoa, the base of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG), the legitimate and internationally recognized government of Somalia, which the ICU had persistently refused to allow to enter Mogadishu. The ICU leadership also announced its intention to revive the Somali irredentist claims to Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya which led to two wars and three guerrilla conflicts in the 1960s and 1970s. Faced by this aggression, the TFG asked the government of Ethiopia for assistance. The United States had nothing to do with this, but it was, not surprisingly, concerned by the known terrorist links of members of the ICU leadership.

Since the collapse of the ICU last December and the flight of its leadership to Eritrea, where it is getting help and assistance, the Somali government has been able to restore its authority over most of the country. There is still a serious security situation in Mogadishu where Al-Shabaab terrorists, linked to the former ICU leaders, have been operating. Ethiopian troops continue to assist the operations of the TFG security forces to restore order. Despite continued assassinations and incidents of land mines on roads, and despite the publicity given to Al-Shabaab by Nairobi-based journalists, and others who have not been to Mogadishu, the security situation is improving. The success of the National Reconciliation Congress in reconciling many clan conflicts underlines the progress being made. There is certainly still a serious humanitarian problem for thousands of IDPs, some displaced by clashes in Mogadishu, most affected over the last year or so by floods and drought and food shortages. With the improving security situation and the appointment of a new prime minister with a long record of involvement in humanitarian affairs, there is every reason to believe that food aid will rapidly reach those in need.

One final point: the UN has not ruled out any chance of an international force. The Security Council only last week specifically requested the Secretary-General to develop contingency plans for a UN peacekeeping force. Additional troops for AMISOM will be deploying before the end of the year, and Ethiopia looks forward to being able to withdraw its forces once there is an international force available in Mogadishu. We will not, however, withdraw prematurely and leave a vacuum to be filled by terrorists.                           

       Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

                     Ministry of Foreign Affairs