Eritrean opposition leader urges dialogue with Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA, Nov 30, 2004 (The Reporter) — Hiruy Tedla Bairu is the leader of the Eritrean National Alliance, an umbrella organization of opposition groups. We met him here in Addis Ababa and asked him about Ethiopia’s new peace proposal.

– What do you say about the peace proposal?

– Hiruy: I consider the peace proposal presented by the Ethiopian prime minister as a big step. We say the despotic government of Isayas Afewerki, Eritrean president should thoroughly study and accept the it in order to save the Eritrean people from further fall and to avert unwanted situation.

– Do you think he will accept?

– Hiruy: He will first reject it, but he will accept it later, because though the Eritrean government engages in arrogant politics, Eritrea has remained with nothing. Members of the army themselves are fleeing the country. Those who have remained in the country do not want to fight. Even if Isayas wants to fight, nobody will fight for him, thus he will eventually accept the proposal.

– Has he not issued a statement rejecting the proposal?

– Hiruy: A statement has been issued, but all doors are not closed, because the statement was issued by the Eritrean Ministry of Information, but Isayas himself has not said that he will not accept it. He can ignore the statement issued by the ministry and accept the proposal.

– How about the Eritrean people, will they accept it?

– Hiruy: They will be temporarily blindfolded by the usual sha’biyyah propaganda, but will have no option because they have been very much affected by the loss of their children, the constant imprisonment and killings, shortages of food and medicines and the impact of HIV/AIDS. Thus, they will accept it.

– By the way, do you, the opponents of the Eritrean regime, accept the proposal?

– Hiruy: We will soon have a meet. We will make our position clear. Our party stands for peace and it accepts it. However, I do not know what others, led by Mesfin Hagos Eritrean Democratic Party leader, also a former defence minister and Seyoum Ogbamichael leader of the opposition Eritrean Liberation Front-Revolutionary Council, say. However, they will suffer a huge political loss if they reject it. The proposal has created a huge and conducive stage for Eritrean opposition forces. I say they should accept it.

– What if the Eritrean government says: I will talk with the Ethiopian government, but after demarcation?

– Hiruy: This is impossible. There should be dialogue before demarcation. The peace proposal is a package. It is not known whether it contains a sweet or a chocolate. This can only be known through dialogue. So the idea that demarcation should come before dialogue is wrong.

Material from the BBC Monitoring Service, original text in Amharic