Ethiopia reiterates need for dialogue with Eritrea
ADDIS ABABA, Mar 9, 2005 (ENA) — Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has indicated urgency of practical moves to address the root causes of the dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea and to regain good neighbourliness.
In an interview he gave to Al Jazeera Television, during his recent visit to Qatar, Prime Minister Meles said currently direct relations abound between and among the countries in the Horn of Africa region, except between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
According to Prime Minister Meles, there can be no reason to doubt the furthering a step ahead towards re-establishing good relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea, if and when the root causes that made relations rough are resolved through dialogues.
The five-point peace proposal made to this same effect and endorsed by the parliament at the end of last year has won wider acceptance among the international community, Meles said.
Meles said, failing to diffuse the apparent tension between the two countries and to bring about normalization can sooner or later lead to unnecessary eruption of hostilities.
In the interview, which Al Jezeera broadcast on Monday [presumably 7 March] in its Arabic programme, Meles said it was Eritrea’s unprovoked aggression of Ethiopia that came in the way of the prevalence of good relations between the two countries.
Asked about Ethiopia’s stand on Somalia after the establishment of government in that country, Meles said it was Ethiopia, along with Djibouti and Kenya, which facilitated the conditions for the success of the Somali peace process and helped that country attain the establishment of a government.
Ethiopia nevertheless attacked the terrorist Al Ittihad al-Islamiyah, a militant group that took a hideout in Somalia, Meles said. He recalled that the terrorist group had tried repeatedly to kill Ethiopian ministers and to bomb hotels. He said various measures have thus been taken to prevent attacks by this terrorist group.
Asked about Ethiopia-US collaboration in the fight against international terrorism, Meles said Ethiopia had been fighting terrorism single-handedly before 9/11. Meles as a case in point recalled the assassination attempt on the life of Egyptian President Husni Mubarak shortly after his arrival in Addis Ababa to attend the OAU Summit in 1995.
The US has come out as a force to fight international terrorism after the 9/11 attacks, Meles said, adding Ethiopia has also collaborated with Djibouti, Kenya and Yemen in this front. He said Ethiopia reaches out always to cooperate with any party committed to fight terrorism.
In response to the question on the 20,000 Ethiopian Jews who left Ethiopia for Israel, Meles said the Ethiopian Constitution stipulates the right of citizens to go, live outside of the country.
The issue of the Ethiopian Jews was the issue related to freedom of movement, which is one in the bulwark of democracy, Meles said, adding he could not at all fathom the fears and apprehensions arising from the issue.