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Some
donors acted 'shamefully' to see release of opposition leaders:
PM
NEGOTIATION POSSIBLE ONLY AFTER OPPOSTION TRIAL
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 ADDIS
ABEBA(June 29,2007) -
Western donors behaved shamefully in trying to broker peace between
the ruling party EPRDF and the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD)
during the political unrest that was created following the May 2005
general elections, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi told Parliament on
Thursday.
In his annual report, Meles said some embassies of western countries
in Addis Ababa, which he did not mention by name, intervened in the
country's internal affair, tried to pressurize the government to see
the release of CUD leaders saying the later were political detainees.
Meles said western donors used aid as a negotiating power and treatened
to cut aid, if ''we do not accept their proposals they came with''
to solve EPRDF-CUD wrangling.
But that was a mistaken and shameful act on the part of the donors,
Meles said.
Meles said, however that, as far as his government was concerned,
"these people" went against the constitution and their cases
should therefore be seen in the court.
That is what is being done here and now, he said.
He said such moves by some donors did not deter his government from
bringing about accelerated economic growth to the country.
They had their money, we kept our sovereignty, the Premiere said admitting,however
that the direct budget cut played its ugly faces in the country's
path towards development.
Meles was responding to a question by an opposition MP as to whether
or not the government was engaged in some kind of negotiation with
the opposition on the immediate release of CUD leaders on trial for
charges of treason and for attempting to overthrow the government
through street violence.
There has been reports recently that the government was negotaiting
with the opposition on their release on condition that they sign a
document confessing they were behind the mass unrest and shouldering
responsibility for the human and material damages incurred.
But Meles said the country's constitution was ''under no circumstances''
to be compromised, and that he wouldn't comment on that any further
while the trail was going on.
He said however that he does not rule out the possibility of negotiation
but only after the trial has been finalized and defendants received
verdict as per the crimes committed.
Meles also hinted national reconciliation before the turn of the millennium
to celebrate the occasion peacefully and in a good spirit.
He warned however that arch-foe Eritrea will do any thing to spoil
the spirit and tarnish Ethiopia's image to the rest of the world.
He said Eritrea was now left with only one option in its sinister
strategy of destabilizing Ethiopia and the regions as a whole: Using
anti-peace elements like OLF, ONLF and others to do the job.
He urged governmental organizations and the Ethiopian public and political
parties in particular to stay alert of Shabia's wicked ambitions and
refrain from being at its service.
Meles said Ethiopia was preparing to quail any possible aggression
by Eritrea with whom it fought a devastating border war in 1998-2000.
"It is deemed necessary to make the necessary military preparation
for deterring a possible Eritrean invasion and to repulse such an
invasion should it occur," Meles said.
''It's obvious that the government of Eritrea will never miss an opportunity
to carry out aggression against Ethiopia should there be an opportunity,"
Meles said.
Unresolved tensions over the border have been compounded in the last
year by Eritrea arming anti-terrorist groups in and out side of Ethiopia.
Meles said the activity of "terrorists" in Somalia had forced
him to slow down Ethiopia's withdrawal from its neighbor.
Complete withdrawal would hinge on the success of a national reconciliation
meeting, the consolidation of the Somali government and full deployment
of AU peacekeepers, he said.
Meles said efforts to persuade the Ogaden National Liberation Front
(ONLF) and the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) rebels -- whom he accuses
Eritrea of supporting -- to lay down their arms had failed.
An offensive is underway against the ONLF, which overran a Chinese-run
oil exploration field in April, killing 74 people.
"From now on, we will take the responsibility to protect the
people and the country against armed bandits engaged in destruction
and violence," Meles said. |
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