• Prime Minister Meles meets the EU ambassadors

• Foreign Minister Seyoum talks to ETV on the ONLF, HR2003, Eritrea, Somalia

• Moves towards reconciliation in Somalia as Prime Minister Gedi resigns

• Eritrea must comply with the Algiers Agreements

• Over 700 Eritrean refugees arrive in Shimelba Camp

• High-level UN visits to Addis Ababa next week

• The 4th International Conference on Federalism in New Delhi opens next week

• European Union Ambassadors met with Prime Minister Meles on Wednesday as part of the regular series of meetings held on the basis of Article 8 of the Cotonou Agreement. This provides for regular dialogue on political affairs between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. The agenda included the Ethiopian Eritrean border dispute, the situation in Somalia, governance and human rights and the situation in the Somali Regional State. The Prime Minister explained in detail why progress was currently impossible on the border demarcation. He underlined that Ethiopia had long since accepted the delimitation decision without conditions, and that it was ready to implement it in accordance with accepted international practice. The difficulty was the extensive and material breaches of the Algiers Agreements by Eritrea. Eritrea has fully occupied the Temporary Security Zone, and prevented UNMEE from operating. The Cessation of Hostilities Agreement no longer existed. This was the basis for all other agreements, and it was crucial that it was fully restored if any other progress was to be made. Prime Minister Meles also noted that the purpose of Ethiopia’s recent Notification to the Government of Eritrea was not to abrogate the Algiers Agreements but rather to underline, and ensure, their integrity.

The Prime Minister detailed Ethiopia’s recent developments on human rights, and its sharply improving economic situation. He noted that the security situation in the Somali Regional State had dramatically improved. He informed the ambassadors that a mechanism had been agreed with the UN and other partners for the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the region, and was now in place. This should rapidly alleviate the current humanitarian problems in the region. On Somalia, the Prime Minister said that Ethiopia believed that making the Transitional Federal Government more effective and deepening the political process were critically important. He stressed the importance of the international community doing more to encourage full deployment of AMISOM. Once AMISOM was in place, Ethiopia would be able to disengage. He also spoke of the need for the TFG to improve its own capacity and the effectiveness of its own security forces.   

• Foreign Minister Seyoum told ETV and Ethiopian Radio on Thursday that successful steps taken by defense forces and local populations in recent months meant that ONLF had no more chance to disrupt peace in the Somali Regional State. In a wide-ranging interview, Minister Seyoum said community elders and public figures in the Somali Regional State had made a number of efforts, in and out of Ethiopia, to reach out to representatives of the group, but its leadership had remained determinedly belligerent, preferring to stay in the comfort of western capitals. After the massacre at Abole in April, when it was clear outside forces were linked with terrorists in the region, the Government was forced to act. Minister Seyoum pointed out that people in the Somali Regional State condemned the disruption caused by the ONLF and emphasized their own desire for peace and development. Community leaders organized their own militia, alongside the army, and engaged the terrorists; they had paid their own sacrifices. Now people could travel everywhere without problem. A majority of the ONLF had surrendered or been disarmed. Some small groups might still be lurking in neighboring areas but their capacity to cause damage was insignificant. Minister Seyoum said the government was implementing infrastructural developments, focusing on improving health, telecommunications and educational facilities in the region. The Disaster, Prevention and Preparedness Agency, alongside with its partners and aid agencies, is, he said, distributing food aid and medical drugs to tackle food shortages and any resultant ailments.

Turning to wider issues, Foreign Minister Seyoum rejected the unfounded accusations of the sponsors of HR-2003. He pointed out Ethiopia had made an immense contribution to peace in the sub-region and more widely, with its forces recently contributing to the UN missions in Rwanda, Burundi and Liberia. Ethiopia’s role in Somalia had created the best opportunity for peace in sixteen years. No one, he said, could deny that Ethiopia was a force for peace in the region. He said there could be no illusions abut the authors of HR2003 who had clearly demonstrated their own disinterest in the promotion of peace, democracy and human rights. Some academics had compared HR-2003 with the late 19^th century Treaty of Wuchale which had been intended to establish outside control of Ethiopia. Ethiopia, said Minister Seyoum, was and is a beacon of freedom, and would never succumb to any type of neo-colonialism.  "Our Constitution reflects our sovereignty," he said; that was the only law under which Ethiopia could run its affairs.  The Minister reminded his listeners that Ethiopia and its independence had been a source of inspiration for Marcus Garvey and for the famous black American civil rights activist, Martin Luther King. HR-2003, the Minister said, was a deliberate attempt to undermine Ethiopia’s sovereignty, and he criticized the pardoned CUD leaders for their public support for HR-2003. Their praise of the authors of HR2003 and of their outspoken mentors, he said, betrayed their contempt for the people of Ethiopia.  

On Eritrea, Minister Seyoum reiterated the necessity for the full restoration of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement. Demarcation in accordance with the EEBC decision could only be implemented when the integrity of the Algiers Agreement had been fully restored.  On Somalia, Minister Seyoum expressed hope that the Transitional Federal Government would be consolidated by the formation of a new and robust government. He said the Government and People of Ethiopia would continue to stand firmly by the side of the Somali Government in its drive to restore peace and to reconstruct Somalia. He praised former Prime Minister Gedi for his decision to resign in the interest of peace; and honored him for the resolve he had displayed. 

• On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Seyoum held talks with President Abdullahi Yusuf in Baidoa, conveying Prime Minister Meles’ congratulations for the peaceful resolution of the recent political crisis. Minister Seyoum encouraged President Abdullahi to hold widespread consultations, internally and externally, over the choice of a new prime minister, following the resignation of Prime Minister Gedi. Discussions also covered the need for Parliament to endorse the National Reconciliation Congress resolutions, and the security situation in Somalia, including Ethiopian military support for the current efforts to end insecurity in Mogadishu. President Abdullahi has already made it clear he is prepared to implement the National Reconciliation Congress resolutions but some are likely to need detailed consideration by Parliament. One is the issue of whether candidates for the post of prime minister or for cabinet ministers should be members of Parliament. The NRC recommended that outsiders should be eligible, and President Abdullahi would support this. President Abdullahi has already begun a series of talks over Mr. Gedi’s successor. He has to appoint a new prime minister within thirty days. He was hosting a working lunch today (Friday) for members of Parliament and members of the NRC Committee to discuss the way forward. In the meantime, Mr. Gedi’s former deputy and Minister of Agriculture, Salim Aliyow Ibrow, has been appointed acting prime-minister.

There is widespread appreciation that Mr. Gedi’s resignation offers a real prospect of reconciliation between various factions within Parliament. By resigning, he avoided the possible divisions that a vote in Parliament might have caused; and Education Minister, Ismail Mohammed Hurre ‘Bube’ emphasized on Wednesday that the government was taking the opportunity for reconciliation. The time for “hostile talk” is over, he said. Before his resignation, Mr. Gedi consulted various interested parties, in and outside Somalia, to minimize the possibility of splits in Parliament, and produce a resolution to the disputes between President and Prime Minister which had been paralyzing the TFG in recent months. A US State Department statement welcomed Mr. Gedi’s resignation, calling it a decision made in the spirit of continued dialogue and national reconciliation which was critical to ensuring free and fair elections. The statement called on the TFG to use the opportunity to engage with key Somali stakeholders, particularly those in Mogadishu, in the consultative process for the appointment of a new prime minister. The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Mr. Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, also acknowledged the conciliatory tone and spirit of the statements made by Mr. Gedi and President Abdullahi. Meanwhile, Sheikh Sharif, the former leader of the Islamic Courts, now in self-imposed exile in Eritrea, said Mr. Gedi’s resignation would not lead to any changes. He indicated that his Eritrean- based and Eritrean-supported Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia would continue its efforts to destabilize Mogadishu.   

In his resignation speech to Parliament on Monday, Mr. Gedi, strongly underlining the need for reconciliation, called for MPs to get away from a “culture of blame”. He spoke of his respect for the TFG Parliament, and its central role in the Federal Charter and establishing the rule of law in Somalia again. His resignation, he said, was a part of this process. He asked Parliament to stand firmly behind the Government, and continue to work for the objectives of the charter. He stressed that as a patriot he would always do everything in his power to help Somalia. He referred to the role Eritrea was playing in opposition to the Transitional Federal Government and its support for Somalia’s enemies. He said the TFG had benefited immeasurably from the support of its partners, especially in the fight against terrorism. This was a struggle that had to continue until complete success was achieved. It was, he insisted, a struggle upon which the future of Somalia as a democratic state depended. Mr. Gedi also spoke of the responsibility of the people of Somalia to address the concerns of the international community over the situation in Somalia, their responsibility to contribute to regional stability, and their responsibility to continue the fight against terrorism. He said Somalis had an obligation, to themselves and to the region, to work for peace and stability and security. He paid tribute to the President’s qualities as a notable politician and a formidable and courageous leader, and offered his experience to the new prime minister. He said he would serve in any capacity demanded of him.

President Abdullahi, in his own address to Parliament, expressed his appreciation to Mr. Gedi for the work he had done and the role he had played as prime minister. He said he expected Mr. Gedi’s experience to be of great value to the Prime Minister’s Office and to Parliament in the future. Mr. Gedi, who was appointed prime minister in November 2004, and is now in Nairobi, is planning to set up a peace center in Mogadishu. President Abdullahi has promised his support; a plot of land has already been allocated for the project.  

• This week, spin-doctors have again been at work claiming that Ethiopia is heading towards another conflict with Eritrea. Ethiopia is not. Indeed, nothing could be further from the truth. While Eritrea has continued to intensify its flagrant violations of the Algiers Agreements, and pour troops into the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ), Ethiopia, on the other hand, has made it clear that it remains committed to the Algiers Agreements, to resolving all disputes with Eritrea without resort to the threat or use of force, and to the establishment of lasting peace and security in the region. However, none of this can be achieved without Eritrea returning into full compliance with the Algiers Agreements. This must involve Eritrea’s full and unconditional restoration of the Temporary Security Zone, and the total removal of all restrictions on UNMEE, as well as Eritrea refraining from either the threat or use of force to resolve disputes. This is the point that Ethiopia underlined with its recent Notification to the Eritrean government. This is absolutely central to any progress on demarcation. The Government of Ethiopia has repeatedly made it quite clear that it stands ready to demarcate the boundary in conformity with the Delimitation Decisions, the Algiers Agreements and customary international practice. There are no preconditions but nothing can be achieved, however, until and unless Eritrea returns to full compliance with the Algiers Agreements.

The UN Security Council, of course, remains seized of the situation. Once it has considered the latest periodic report of the Secretary-General on Ethiopia and Eritrea (reportedly bearing the number S/2007/645 November 2007), it is expected to meet within the next ten day. Central to any discussion will be Eritrea’s continual breaches of the Algiers Agreements, including the deployment of heavily armed troops in the Temporary Security Zone and the severe restrictions on UNMEE’s mobility and operational capacity. Consistent with the resolutions of the Security Council, the Secretary-General will also inform the Council of its activities to assist the two countries to resolve their disputes peacefully and normalize their relations. In this regard, Ethiopia believes both countries should support the efforts of third-parties, including the Secretary-General. Eritrea should return fully into compliance with the Algiers Agreements. It should accept direct dialogue with Ethiopia or third party facilitation to resolve all disputes between the two countries, including demarcation in accordance with the Delimitation Decision, the Algiers Agreements and customary international practice. As the Secretary-General has noted several times, the two parties bear the primary responsibility for overcoming their differences and moving the peace process forward.  

• Meanwhile, the numbers of Eritreans crossing the border into Ethiopia, and ending up in Shimelba, a refugee camp located some 30 kms. from Sheraro in Western Tigrai, have been rising sharply: some 700 in October, double the number arriving in October last year, though the average over the last year is nearer 300 a month. The increase comes as problems increase in Eritrea, currently under consideration as a state sponsor of terrorism by the US. The arrivals have been the lucky ones, eluding snipers posted at border outposts, to shoot down those attempting to cross the border. Many do not make it; others spend days hiding out in scrublands, avoiding hyenas and land-mines, before managing to slip across to surrender to Ethiopian soldiers. The refugees are reluctant to give names for fear of further reprisals against the members of their family. One spoke of his wife who had recently been released after serving months of hard labor, detained for failing to pay a fine of around 30,000 Nakfa for being related to someone who had fled the country. Others spoke of the way they were forced to remain in the army for years after the end of their mandatory national service, and of harshness of the barracks’ environment. One was also detained for months for being a practicing protestant. Eventually he escaped, leaving his wife and children behind. He had been in Shimelba for three years, and like all Shimelba refugees, he dreamt of a family reunion back home. None of the refugees are optimistic of a swift return. The harassment facing the families of defectors is becoming harsher; the news of religious persecution is all over the media." No one can expect the rule of law to return in Eritrea soon." In the sprawling villages of Shimelba, bars and shops express their nostalgia” the Asmara Barber sits alongside the Picolo Restaurant; the music from the “Recreation Centers" is Eritrean songs. There are over 15,000 refugees in Shimelba, at least a third have fled from un-ending military service or left the army. Frustration is creeping in and anxiety is mounting among the refugees. They want a better life in their own country and amidst their fellowmen. But, as one ex-soldier said" There is a stumbling block, and we need to clear the way to see our dreams come true".

·     There will be a series of high-level official UN visits to Addis Ababa next week. On November 5 and 6, there is the 8^th Annual Regional Consultation Meeting between the United Nations and the African Union Commission. The meeting will be chaired by UN Deputy Secretary-General, Asha-Rise Migiro. It will review the work of UN agencies and organizations in support of NEPAD over the past year. The UN General Assembly mandated all UN agencies to align their activities in Africa with NEPAD priorities and around thematic clusters covering the priorities defined in UN Resolution 57/7 of 4 November 2002. The meeting will review the working of the Cluster system and the UN’s 10-year capacity building program for the AU. It will also be reviewing post-conflict recovery and reconstruction in Southern Sudan, Burundi and Sierra Leone. 

Also visiting Addis Ababa next week will be two of UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon’s new appointments - Mr. Edmond Mulet, UN Assistant Secretary-General of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and Mr. Haile Menkerios, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs. Mr. Mulet will be holding talks with a number of officials here including Dr. Tekeda Alemu, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and military officers, including General Samora Younis, Chief of the General Staff, and Major General Yohannes Gebremeskel, head of the Peacekeeping Co-ordination Bureau, as well as officials of the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE). It will be recalled that Mr. Menkerios was Eritrea’s Ambassador to Ethiopia in happier days.  

• The Fourth International Conference on Federalism will open in New Delhi on November 5^th. This is the fourth in a series of conferences organized by the Forum of Federations. Earlier meetings were held in Canada in 1999, Switzerland in 2002, and Belgium in 2005. Ethiopia joined the Forum of Federations in 2006, becoming the eighth member. The other members are Australia, Austria, Canada, India, Mexico, Nigeria, and Switzerland, with Germany joining on October 11 this year. The Forum of Federations is currently working in Ethiopia with the House of Federation and the Ministry of Federal Affairs; it is also involved in the setting up of an Institute of Federalism at Addis Ababa University. The Fourth International Conference will be attended by more than a thousand participants from over 100 countries, including all those with federal constitutions, of which there are 24. The main themes of the conference, hosted by India, the world’s largest federal democracy,  will be Building on and Accommodating Diversities; Emerging Issues in Fiscal Federalism; Interaction in a Federal System; and Local Governments and Federal Systems.  The meeting will be attended by several heads of government and ministers from Austria, Bosnia Herzegovina, Canada, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, the US and the host nation, India. Ethiopian participants will include ministers and officials at the higher level.  

• This week, Ethiopia and the International Organization of Migration, IOM, have signed a Memorandum of understanding to launch the Migration for Development in Ethiopia, (MIDEth) program. MIDEth, a four year program, will reach out to the Ethiopian Diaspora seeking to assist those interested to share their knowledge and skills to boost development efforts in their country of origin. The agreement, between IOM and the Ethiopian Expatriates Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, provides for about 4.5 million dollars for a program to boost institutional capacity to mobilize and utilize human, financial and other resources from the Ethiopian Diaspora. It will focus particularly on health, education, water and sanitation. The program is also intended to enhance the institutional capacities of the private sector, and of NGOs, local communities and civil society. It will foster stronger private-public sector partnerships to deepen the confidence-building process between Government and the Diaspora. MIDEth will assist 200 Ethiopian professionals in the Diaspora to share their skills through satellite-based technology systems, arrange visits, assist in permanent relocation, encourage investments and help in the transfer of medical equipment and facilities. A majority of the estimated 1.5 million Ethiopians living overseas reside in the United States, Canada, Europe and the Gulf states.