Ethiopia never took war as option – President Girma
ADDIS ABABA, Jan 7, 2005 (ENA) — Ethiopian President Girma Woldegiorgis has called on the public to work closely with the government towards the realization of the five-point peace proposal Ethiopia has put forward recently to resolve the dispute with Eritrea peacefully.
President Girma said the people should rally behind the government in taking the peace proposal to its implementation, which will signify the expansion of development, nation building and improvement of livelihoods of the grassroots by closing in on confrontational attitudes.
Thursday’s issue of Addis Zemen, an Amharic daily, quoted Girma as saying that the absence of peace will only deny the people of their chances to participate in and become beneficiaries of development. The people are expected to play significant roles in helping realize the peace proposal, which Girma said, will dissipate doubts of hostilities in the thin air.
He warned the people to stand upright in the face of the denouncement some oppositions are lodging, as those denouncing the peace proposal have never come up with better ideas for alternative. “If they have any, let them forward it and argue.”
According to the president, the incoming and outgoing ambassadors and delegations his office has so far give audience to, have voiced their appreciation to and foreseen positive results from the peace proposal.
No country has so far been heard to say anything against Ethiopia’s peace proposal, he said, and pledged that his office in its foreign relations will do all it can towards the realization of the peace proposal though unequivocal global support.
The office, he said, will be encouraging the resumption of dialogues between the religious fathers in Eritrea and Ethiopia as was in the pipeline earlier supported by the Norwegian Church.
The office believes religious leaders, among others, can put meaningful pressures towards the realization of the peace proposal, the president said.
Ethiopia’s call for peace, if accepted, will be greatly beneficial to both countries, he said, adding anticipation of war, preparations for war, be it defensive or offensive, are hugely costly.
He said the peace proposal will address all these by warding off all apprehensions and help the two countries to focus all attention on and invest all energies in efforts to extricating the peoples from the abject poverty they are in, he said.
The government of Eritrea has failed so far to accept the peace proposal because of its behavioural rigidity, Girma said, adding the government of Ethiopia never takes on war as option – ever.