• Boundary Demarcation now depends entirely upon Eritrea

• Ethiopian troops will leave Somalia when the TFG can stand on its own

• US Congressman Smith on the defensive over HR2003

• Prime Minister Meles meets Sudanese delegations.

• The Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission has sent its 25th report to the Secretary-General of the UN. Commission President, Sir Elihu Lauterpacht said he regretted that the Commission had been unable to take its work through “to its full conclusion”. The report (dated September 28th) noted that no progress had been made towards the implementation of demarcation at the meeting last month in The Hague. Sir Elihu reminded both parties of the Commission’s earlier ruling (November 2006) that demarcation by co-ordinates on paper, “virtual demarcation”, would become effective at the end of November 2007. Ethiopia has already made it clear that this is unacceptable, and any endorsement by the international community could lead to a dangerous situation in the region. This ruling is ultra vires and outside the mandate given to the Commission by the two parties under the Algiers Agreements. “Virtual demarcation” is inconsistent with the Algiers Agreements, and international law and practice. There can be no demarcation without a valid demarcation process. When announced last year, Eritrea, like Ethiopia, immediately rejected the ruling. This was reiterated in a letter to the President of the Security Council on October 23^rd: “Eritrea’s legal point of view is that the border should be demarcated by placing the pillars on the ground”.

The report has not been made public but was leaked on an Eritrean website. In an attempt at spin, the Eritrean Ministry of Information immediately accused the western media of ignoring a report which it claimed blamed Ethiopia for the lack of progress on demarcation. In fact, it did nothing of the kind. Sir Elihu had previously noted Ethiopia’s full commitment to the demarcation process at the March 2006 meeting of the parties and the Commission: “We have taken note of the fact that Ethiopia has accepted the delimitation decision…a complete and unconditional acceptance, so there is no doubt that Ethiopia is willing to move on to the complete demarcation of the boundary”. He added that “all we are trying to do now is figure out how to go about that.” Ethiopia agrees. The crux of the matter now, as Ethiopia pointed out at The Hague meeting, is Eritrea’s egregious violations of the TSZ and its restrictions on UNMEE. There is an absolute necessity for Eritrea’s full compliance with the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, and this includes the complete withdrawal of all Eritrean troops from the Temporary Security Zone and the lifting of all restrictions on UNMEE. These are the key obligations under the Algiers Agreements. Without these, as the Commission itself has acknowledged, in March 2006, demarcation is physically impossible. For this reason, the effort to obtain an agreement by asking for Eritrea’s partial withdrawal from the TSZ and a partial lifting of restrictions on UNMEE, welcomed by Eritrea, was unacceptable. No progress on demarcation is possible unless and until Eritrea fully complies with these Agreements, until the integrity of the TSZ is fully restored and UNMEE is given back full operational capacity. Ethiopia underlined these points in its Notification to Eritrea on September 22nd. No response has been received. Unless Eritrea does respond positively, and soon, Ethiopia made it clear in a statement this week that it would have to look seriously at the other legal options available.    

Ethiopia remains committed to the Algiers Agreements. Its ultimate objective is the resolution of all disputes with Eritrea without the threat or use of force, and the establishment of peace and security in the region. This can only be achieved with Eritrea coming into full compliance with the Agreements, and with the cessation of Eritrean threats and subversive activities against Ethiopia. The parties themselves are ultimately responsible for the resolution of their disputes, including the implementation of the delimitation of the border, through peaceful means. Ethiopia is committed to remove any obstacles to demarcation and is ready to co-operate with the efforts of the UN Secretary-General to assist in the normalization of relations with Eritrea. To help achieve this after November 30^th Ethiopia believes the international community should focus on three things. One is the restoration of full compliance with the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement; second, the demarcation of the boundary consistent with international practice and in line with the Algiers Agreements; and third, the normalization of relations between the two countries.  

• Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, Prime Minister Meles said that Ethiopian troops would not leave Somalia until conditions on the ground improved and the Transitional Institutions are consolidated. “It is not our country, we neither have the desire nor the need to stay there”, the Prime Minister said.  Replying to an opposition request for Ethiopian troops to withdraw, the Prime Minister said the Ethiopian forces were in Somalia because of the danger to Ethiopia’s national interests from the threat of terrorism and at the invitation of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia. “If they ask us to withdraw, we are ready to do that in a day,” he said.  However, he added: “Withdrawing at this time will mean that our sacrifices were in vain. Even after we finish our job, we cannot tell the Somali people ‘to hell with you’ because tomorrow that will have repercussions against us.  We will not have anybody to trust us. We will not be in Somalia for ever, but we will leave when the conditions are right. The people of Somalia should not be abandoned.”  The Prime Minister pointed out that a sudden pull-out of Ethiopian forces before peacekeepers of the AU, or any other peacekeeping force was available, would create chaos and suffering for the Somali population.  If Ethiopia forces left Somalia prematurely terrorist elements would have an opportunity to re-establish themselves and spread throughout the Horn of Africa. He noted that the international community supported Ethiopia’s position. The only exceptions were terrorist groups and the government of Eritrea. These shared the aim of destabilizing Somalia and threatening the security of Ethiopia.

The Prime Minister took the opportunity to dismiss claims by the Ogaden National Liberation Front that it had killed hundreds of government soldiers in fighting near Wardeer in the Somali Regional State, and nearly captured a senior government official.  The Prime Minister said that the government has spent years trying to convince the ONLF that negotiations were the only way forward. He noted that groups of elders had been sent to try and negotiate with the ONLF both in the Somali region and abroad, but the ONLF had been reluctant. They had launched a murderous attack at the oil exploration site at Abole in April, slaughtering dozens of innocent workers. This meant, the Prime Minister said, that the government had to conduct a campaign to deter such acts. As a government, he said, it is our duty to protect our citizens: “so far we have been successful; we will continue doing so until we force them out of the game”.  

Earlier the Prime Minister had held talks with the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General to Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah. Prime Minister Meles said that Ethiopia had contributed largely to bringing sustainable peace to Somalia and it would continue these efforts. As a member of IGAD, and as a neighbor of Somalia, Ethiopia had, he said, a firm commitment to ensure peace and stability there. He pointed out to Mr. Ahmedou that getting Somalia out of its current crisis demanded concerted efforts and the co-ordination of all concerned parties.  

• In Somalia itself, there have been considerable tensions between Prime Minister Mohamed Ali Gedi and President Abdullahi Yusuf in recent weeks. Last week 22 members of the cabinet resigned from the government. There were fears of a confrontation taking place which might lead to violence. Now the groundwork for an amicable settlement has been prepared. Prime Minister Gedi has made two visits to Addis Ababa for discussions with senior officials in the last ten days. It is expected from now on that the relationship between top Somali politicians were be more constructive. The Transitional Parliament is expected to meet shortly.  

• US Congressman Christopher Smith, one of the sponsors of HR 2003, found himself on the defensive this week. HR 2003 has recently passed Congress. Giving a press conference at the National Press Club, the New Jersey Congressman faced vigorous questioning over his bill. He was put on the defensive by questions over his failure to condemn the Abole massacre of the 74 Ethiopians and Chinese workers at an oil exploration facility in the Somali Regional State, and by his refusal to notice recent advances in expanding democracy in Ethiopia. The bill has been strongly attacked by Senator Jim Inhofe because it ignored "the unprecedented progress the country has made". Others, including former US ambassador, Mrs. Vicki Huddleston, have pointed out Congressman Smith ignored the legislation covering the reform of the Electoral Board and the changes to the rules of procedure and the code of ethics of the House of People’s Representatives which were adopted after deliberations by the ruling and opposition parties in parliament. Nowhere has the Congressman bothered to mention the huge gains the opposition made, increasing its seats from 12 to over 170, in the highly contested elections of May 2005. He appeared oblivious to the pardons for opposition leaders convicted of outrage against the Constitution and of trying to undermine the budding democratic institutions, the basis of Ethiopia's nascent democratic order. Congressman Smith said that for the majority of members of Congress, there was a learning curve about what is happening in Ethiopia, but his bill does little to provide much assistance. Critics have also found it difficult to fathom why he has singled out Ethiopia and its evolving democracy for such treatment when there are other countries in the region which have an unequalled record of human rights violations. Eritrea has thrown thousands into detention, and held them incommunicado indefinitely, many for the simple reason of practicing their religion. It has supported terrorism and done its best to destabilize its neighbors, including Ethiopia and Somalia. Ethiopia, a sovereign country with a long history of independence, is fighting terrorism, particularly in the Horn. As Senator Inhofe pointed out, “the bill takes the wrong approach by placing demands on a friend and ally which has made obvious advancements in democracy and human rights." Congressman Smith in his long service as a law maker spanning almost three decades claims to have accomplished a great deal in safeguarding human rights. It is a pity he has failed to use this rich experience to promote peace and democracy in a way which will give the people and Government of Ethiopia ownership of the process to which they are committed. He is, whether intentionally or otherwise, like some in the Diaspora, actually doing the work of enemies of Ethiopia to derail its efforts to beat poverty and enhance democracy.

Prime Minister Meles, this week, met with two Sudanese delegations, one led by Dr. Nafie Ali Nafie, Assistant to the President of Sudan, Field Marshal Omar Hassan al Bashir, the other from the government of South Sudan led by Deng Alor Kuol, now nominated as Foreign Minister of Sudan. The talks focused on the problems that have arisen over the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in January 2005 between the Sudanese government and the Southern Peoples Liberation Movement, ending 21 years of conflict. The delegations briefed Prime Minister Meles on difficulties that have arisen between the National Congress and the SPLM. They detailed the measures taken to resolve the crisis and to respond to the concerns that the South Sudan has had over its representation in the national government. Prime Minister Meles assured both delegations of Ethiopia’s support for the implementation of the CPA. He said Ethiopia would work closely with IGAD, the AU and the international community to support a peaceful resolution of the current crisis, and he called on both sides to exercise restraint. During their visits, both delegations also had a series of meetings with a team led by Foreign Minister Seyoum.  

• Operations have begun to restore the 1700-year-old Axum obelisk on its original site. A symbol of Ethiopia’s ancient civilization, the famous edifice returned to its homeland from Italy where it stood in exile for 68 years in Rome. Cut into three in order to fly it back, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is overseeing the re-erection project of the 150 tonne stele at a cost of four million dollars. Axum founded around 100 BC, was the capital of an empire that flourished as a major trading centre during the first Millennium.  According to UNESCO experts, the foundations for the re-erection of the obelisk, which dates from around 250 AD, have been prepared. The necessary equipment has been brought to the site, and labor forces mobilized. It is a formidable job. UNESCO is hoping the process will be completed by September next year. 

• Wednesday, October 24^th, was UN Day, celebrated since 1948, the year after the UN was set up. As a founder member of the UN, Ethiopia took the opportunity to reiterate its commitment to the organization. Ethiopia has never shied away from its international responsibilities. It has been involved in UN peace-keeping operations in Korea, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Liberia. It has offered troops for the proposed force in Darfur. It has always acted within the parameters of international norms and principles. When invaded by Eritrea in May 1998, Ethiopia first took its case to the AU and the UN, demonstrating its commitment to peaceful resolution of disputes through negotiation. Recent contributions to the UN include a commitment and active involvement in the global fight against terrorism, and the fulfillment of international responsibilities for the maintenance of peace and security, particularly within the region. Ethiopia continues to exert its utmost efforts to create amicable relations with neighboring countries on the basis of mutual trust and confidence.