The Vatican's permanent observer to the United Nations in New York says that world peace is a collective responsibility and the Somalia security is Collective responsibly and the priority of the UN. This being the case, regional and international efforts are being exerted, more vigorously than ever before, to ensure peace and stability in every corner of the world. With regard to this, the international community, the African Union, the East African Inter-Governmental Authority on Development and the like are striving to ensure sustainable peace and stability in Somalia.
Ethiopia would further consolidate its efforts to ensure dependable peace and security in Somalia , the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The Ethiopian foreign ministry spokesman told HAN & Geeska Afrika Online Edition reporter in Addis Ato Mulugeta Ababa that Ethiopia is pursuing this goal as instability in Somalia would directly affect the country and the region. Al-Itihad/ONLF has been masterminding and perpetrating terrorist acts in Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti and Somalia for the last decade in line with the directives it receives from al-Qaeda, The spokesman said.
Leaders of the African Union have failed to secure full numbers for a planned peacekeeping force in Somalia. The new AU chairman John Kufuor announced that the numbers of troops pledged were not enough. The Regional Director for international crises group gave us an insight into what this means for stability in Somalia.
Members of the African Union are beginning to offer peacekeepers to support the interim government of Somalia, but not nearly in the numbers needed or even any positive response from the African countries. We spoke to the Apostolic Administrator for the country, who told us that the entire international community must come to Somalia's aid
Somalia’s fate will likely be decided in the coming weeks, said the the Vatican’s apostolic administrator of Mogadishu, as the country now totters between a weak, propped-up transitional government and chaos since the Union of Islamic Courts was pushed from power last week.
“If Ethiopia withdraws its troops and there is no support mechanism put in place, the transitional government can’t stand on its own. It will collapse, therefore the Ethiopian government should stay to keep the peace” Bishop Giorgio Bertin of Dijbouti said.
The most difficult task will be piecing back together Somalia’s fragmented society, which has almost been completely destroyed, said Bishop Bertin.
“The presence of an international peacekeeping force could allow discussions to happen that bring into play Somalia’s traditional clan system. It has been weakened by the warlords, who are self-appointed men acting in their own interests, but it can be restored,” Bishop Bertin said.
“The international community too must avoid acting for hidden interests. We all need to act in interest of a true Somali nation, to ensure its success,” he said.
“In just this year alone, we’ve gone from drought, to flooding, to war,” Bishop Bertin said. “All the classical evils are there.”
Sources: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Vatican radio, Geeskaafrika online Reporter, IGAD2020 Security Watch and HAN staff Reporter In Addis Ababa.
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Tina's Ethiopian Cafe - Chandler, Arizona - Watt's Good For You
Watt's Good for You
By Stephen Lemons
Tina Tamrat Hildebrand laughs and smiles shyly when I play reporter rather than gentleman, and ask her age. This fetching little Ethiopian lady could pass for someone in her mid-to-late 20s, but curiosity has yet to kill the culinary critic, which is why I pose the question.
"You know, in Ethiopia, people do not think about age," she explains in her charming trill of an accent. "In Ethiopia, we don't celebrate birthdays. Most people are born at home, and may not even know their exact age."
Further complicating matters is the fact that Ethiopia uses a 13-month calendar that runs about seven to eight years behind our own Gregorian. But when Hildebrand came to the United States in 1991 as a refugee of war and government repression, she suddenly discovered that here, everyone must know his or her age. She finally determined that she must have been born in the year 1974 of the Western calendar, which will make her 31 this year.
Hildebrand communicates all this as we're seated in her cozy little Chandler eatery Tina's Ethiopian Cafe, and it suddenly strikes me how utterly different life must be in the city of her birth, Addis Ababa. I've eaten at the Valley's other Ethiopian restaurants, and at Ethiopian spots in New York and Los Angeles, but never has eating Ethiopian seemed so intimate as at Tina's.
Part of this has to do with the fact that Hildebrand acts not only as chef, but server. Also, I think it's because Hildebrand has made her cafe an extension of her home. In the front part of the main dining area, you can choose from either a Western-style table or one of the colorful messobs, the traditional dining tables of Ethiopia hand-woven from a special grass. Tempe's Cafe Lalibela and Blue Nile offer this, too, but toward the back of Tina's is an area set up like a den, with a couch and comfy chairs, a coffee table, and a TV set, which screens Ethiopian videos showing demonstrations of tribal dancing or maybe a drama. Hildebrand's hubby, Dan, and her children David, 6, and Daisy, less than a year, are often nearby, adding to the overall aura of domesticity.
The windows are shrouded by curtains in the red, green and yellow of the Ethiopian flag. African carvings, Ethiopian Orthodox crosses, and posters of beautiful Ethiopian women cover the walls. Ethiopian music plays on the stereo, and Ethiopian trinkets are for sale in a display case near the front, along with copies of Hildebrand's self-published cookbook Secrets From Tina's Ethiopian Cafe.
Though Hildebrand's family was prominent, with her father owning a candy factory before a Marxist junta took it and all of his money from him, her mother still taught each of her girls their way around a kitchen. Here in the States, Hildebrand trained to be a nurse, but her dream has always been to start her own restaurant. So when the space became available, she opened Tina's in March of last year, right beside a neighborhood bar called El Coyote.
It's at El Coyote that you can purchase some beer to have with the various watt, or stews, that you'll be eating. Tina's only offers sodas, water, and Ethiopian tea and coffee, the latter flavored with roasted cloves. But Hildebrand allows customers to brown-bag something in from next door, which is helpful because beer does go quite well with Ethiopian food. Hopefully, with time, Hildebrand will get her own liquor license or come to some arrangement with El Coyote, because it would be a real treat to have Ethiopian Harar beer with dinner.
Tina's menu may not be as extensive as at a more established spot like Cafe Lalibela, but what it lacks in length, it makes up for in quality. This is Ethiopian soul food, though much more healthful than the American version, especially since Hildebrand says she eschews the use of Ethiopian butter in her recipes, sticking instead to extra-virgin olive oil.
Hildebrand's enjera, or spongy Ethiopian flatbread made with flour from the native grain teff, is perhaps the thickest and the tastiest I've ever had. Of course, those of you familiar with Abyssinian fare will know that watt is served on a round pancake of enjera, and you can eat either with pieces of enjera torn from this pancake or from a side of enjera accompanying the meal. Hildebrand gives you a whole basket full of the bread, each portion rolled tightly into soft, pale cylinders. By itself, enjera tastes slightly sour, but it really soaks up the juices of the different watt, so you can see why the Ethiopians have not forsaken eating like this for the use of spoons and forks.
Indeed, the watt at Tina's is so savory that you'll be glad there are no utensils to delay its progress to your munch-hole. On the vegetarian side, there's shiro watt, a brownish, souplike substance made from chickpea powder; yemiser watt, or mildly spiced lentils; and fosolia watt, or simmered green beans and carrots. But those I enjoyed the most were the spinach watt, the kik watt, and the yatkilt watt. The spinach is made with onions and olive oil, the kik with yellow split peas and herbs, and the yatkilt with cabbage, carrots and potatoes. The kik is almost like a warm split-pea purée, and the yatkilt reminds me of similar Indian dishes, probably because of the inclusion of yellow curry powder.
Tina's house salad, made with tomatoes, cranberries and sunflower seeds, is also a standout, but I'm a carnivore at heart (or, should I say, at stomach), and that's why I'm such a fan of Hildebrand's meat dishes, which include yedoro watt (chicken), key watt (quarter-inch bits of beef), and beef tibbs, larger pieces of grilled beef with onions and green peppers. Both the yedoro and key watt are slightly spicy from the addition of an Ethiopian red-pepper-based seasoning referred to as berbere, as well as garlic and ginger. But the tibbs is not spicy at all.
For an appetizer, sometimes Hildebrand will bring an Indian-style samosa, or a cup full of dabbo qolo, little bits of fried corn muffin mix, which are habit-forming, they're so scrumptious. I do wish lamb were part of Hildebrand's bill of fare, but she says not enough customers order it. Maybe if I phone ahead, she can make it special for me next time I go.
By Stephen Lemons
Tina Tamrat Hildebrand laughs and smiles shyly when I play reporter rather than gentleman, and ask her age. This fetching little Ethiopian lady could pass for someone in her mid-to-late 20s, but curiosity has yet to kill the culinary critic, which is why I pose the question.
"You know, in Ethiopia, people do not think about age," she explains in her charming trill of an accent. "In Ethiopia, we don't celebrate birthdays. Most people are born at home, and may not even know their exact age."
Further complicating matters is the fact that Ethiopia uses a 13-month calendar that runs about seven to eight years behind our own Gregorian. But when Hildebrand came to the United States in 1991 as a refugee of war and government repression, she suddenly discovered that here, everyone must know his or her age. She finally determined that she must have been born in the year 1974 of the Western calendar, which will make her 31 this year.
Hildebrand communicates all this as we're seated in her cozy little Chandler eatery Tina's Ethiopian Cafe, and it suddenly strikes me how utterly different life must be in the city of her birth, Addis Ababa. I've eaten at the Valley's other Ethiopian restaurants, and at Ethiopian spots in New York and Los Angeles, but never has eating Ethiopian seemed so intimate as at Tina's.
Part of this has to do with the fact that Hildebrand acts not only as chef, but server. Also, I think it's because Hildebrand has made her cafe an extension of her home. In the front part of the main dining area, you can choose from either a Western-style table or one of the colorful messobs, the traditional dining tables of Ethiopia hand-woven from a special grass. Tempe's Cafe Lalibela and Blue Nile offer this, too, but toward the back of Tina's is an area set up like a den, with a couch and comfy chairs, a coffee table, and a TV set, which screens Ethiopian videos showing demonstrations of tribal dancing or maybe a drama. Hildebrand's hubby, Dan, and her children David, 6, and Daisy, less than a year, are often nearby, adding to the overall aura of domesticity.
The windows are shrouded by curtains in the red, green and yellow of the Ethiopian flag. African carvings, Ethiopian Orthodox crosses, and posters of beautiful Ethiopian women cover the walls. Ethiopian music plays on the stereo, and Ethiopian trinkets are for sale in a display case near the front, along with copies of Hildebrand's self-published cookbook Secrets From Tina's Ethiopian Cafe.
Though Hildebrand's family was prominent, with her father owning a candy factory before a Marxist junta took it and all of his money from him, her mother still taught each of her girls their way around a kitchen. Here in the States, Hildebrand trained to be a nurse, but her dream has always been to start her own restaurant. So when the space became available, she opened Tina's in March of last year, right beside a neighborhood bar called El Coyote.
It's at El Coyote that you can purchase some beer to have with the various watt, or stews, that you'll be eating. Tina's only offers sodas, water, and Ethiopian tea and coffee, the latter flavored with roasted cloves. But Hildebrand allows customers to brown-bag something in from next door, which is helpful because beer does go quite well with Ethiopian food. Hopefully, with time, Hildebrand will get her own liquor license or come to some arrangement with El Coyote, because it would be a real treat to have Ethiopian Harar beer with dinner.
Tina's menu may not be as extensive as at a more established spot like Cafe Lalibela, but what it lacks in length, it makes up for in quality. This is Ethiopian soul food, though much more healthful than the American version, especially since Hildebrand says she eschews the use of Ethiopian butter in her recipes, sticking instead to extra-virgin olive oil.
Hildebrand's enjera, or spongy Ethiopian flatbread made with flour from the native grain teff, is perhaps the thickest and the tastiest I've ever had. Of course, those of you familiar with Abyssinian fare will know that watt is served on a round pancake of enjera, and you can eat either with pieces of enjera torn from this pancake or from a side of enjera accompanying the meal. Hildebrand gives you a whole basket full of the bread, each portion rolled tightly into soft, pale cylinders. By itself, enjera tastes slightly sour, but it really soaks up the juices of the different watt, so you can see why the Ethiopians have not forsaken eating like this for the use of spoons and forks.
Indeed, the watt at Tina's is so savory that you'll be glad there are no utensils to delay its progress to your munch-hole. On the vegetarian side, there's shiro watt, a brownish, souplike substance made from chickpea powder; yemiser watt, or mildly spiced lentils; and fosolia watt, or simmered green beans and carrots. But those I enjoyed the most were the spinach watt, the kik watt, and the yatkilt watt. The spinach is made with onions and olive oil, the kik with yellow split peas and herbs, and the yatkilt with cabbage, carrots and potatoes. The kik is almost like a warm split-pea purée, and the yatkilt reminds me of similar Indian dishes, probably because of the inclusion of yellow curry powder.
Tina's house salad, made with tomatoes, cranberries and sunflower seeds, is also a standout, but I'm a carnivore at heart (or, should I say, at stomach), and that's why I'm such a fan of Hildebrand's meat dishes, which include yedoro watt (chicken), key watt (quarter-inch bits of beef), and beef tibbs, larger pieces of grilled beef with onions and green peppers. Both the yedoro and key watt are slightly spicy from the addition of an Ethiopian red-pepper-based seasoning referred to as berbere, as well as garlic and ginger. But the tibbs is not spicy at all.
For an appetizer, sometimes Hildebrand will bring an Indian-style samosa, or a cup full of dabbo qolo, little bits of fried corn muffin mix, which are habit-forming, they're so scrumptious. I do wish lamb were part of Hildebrand's bill of fare, but she says not enough customers order it. Maybe if I phone ahead, she can make it special for me next time I go.
9th Ethio-Sudan Joint Border Commission Meet due to be held soon
Addis Ababa, February 2, 2007
The ninth Ethio-Sudan Joint Border Commission Meeting would be held in the Sudanese town of Gedearif from 6 to 7 February 2007, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. In a statement it sent to Ethiopian News Agency on Friday, the ministry said the Joint Border Commission is expected to discuss on issues of security as well as border trade and customs, among others.
The meeting would also hear reports on disease control and surveillance activities across the border and seek ways of solving possible health problems that may occur in the areas, the statement added.
The statement said Gambella, Benishangul-Gumuz, Amhara and Tigray state administrations would attend the meeting, while Sudan would be represented by officials of its border towns and states.
Traditional music shows, trade fair and soccer matches would be held simultaneously with the Joint Border Commission meeting.
The ninth Ethio-Sudan Joint Border Commission Meeting would be held in the Sudanese town of Gedearif from 6 to 7 February 2007, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. In a statement it sent to Ethiopian News Agency on Friday, the ministry said the Joint Border Commission is expected to discuss on issues of security as well as border trade and customs, among others.
The meeting would also hear reports on disease control and surveillance activities across the border and seek ways of solving possible health problems that may occur in the areas, the statement added.
The statement said Gambella, Benishangul-Gumuz, Amhara and Tigray state administrations would attend the meeting, while Sudan would be represented by officials of its border towns and states.
Traditional music shows, trade fair and soccer matches would be held simultaneously with the Joint Border Commission meeting.
Saturday, February 3, 2007
Ethiopia: Summit Calls On African Countries to Join Country in Millennium Celebrations
The Ethiopian Herald
The 8th African Union (AU) Summit has called upon African countries to join Ethiopia in celebrating the upcoming New Millennium, Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin said.
Briefing journalists at the conclusion of the Summit Tuesday, Seyoum said that Africa has accepted the Ethiopian Millennium as an African one as well.
Ethiopia is the only country in the world that has not yet celebrated its millennium, Seyoum said, adding this unique event should be celebrated colourfully not only in Ethiopia but also across Africa.
The celebration of the Ethiopian Millennium would begin as of September 12, 2007.
The government has already established a Millennium Festival National Council Secretariat for the colourful celebration of the Millennium.
Meanwhile, the Ethiopian Millennium Festival National Council Secretariat said that the resolution adopted by the Summit to celebrate the Ethiopian Millennium as African Millennium is a great diplomatic and moral victory to all Ethiopians.
The Secretariat told ENA yesterday that the inclusion of the Ethiopian Millennium celebration as one of the Summit agenda indicates the attention the Summit paid to all Africans.
Ethiopia's calendar is among the national features that makes it unique among African countries, it said.
The fact that Addis is the second city of all Africans and the headquarters of the AU are among the reasons that give the Ethiopian Millennium an African face, the Secretariat added.
The fact that the decision was taken in the presence of several African Heads of State and Government, representatives of various international organizations, and the new UN Secretary General will add imputs for the colourful celebration of the Millennium.
Though other Africans and Europeans celebrated their millennium seven years back, the decision passed by the AU Summit to celebrate the Ethiopian Millennium as an African Millennium provided them as another opportunity to be part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The opportunity the millennium festival offers to promote the good images of Ethiopia would also favour Africa, it said.
The Secretariat said the Summit decision can be taken as a satisfactory response to the call made by the Secretariat to friends of Ethiopia across the world to name the period between September 2000 E.C and September 2001 E.C. (equivalent to Sept. 11, 2007 through September 11 , 2008) "Ethiopian Year."
According to the Secretariat, the decision of the Summit would strengthen the efforts Ethiopia is exerting for development, democratization and good governance as well as to promote its good images.
The decision passed by the African Heads of State and Government to make the Ethiopian Millennium an African Millennium is an indication of the value they attached with and their sense of ownership towards Ethiopian Millennium festival, the Secretariat added.
The 8th African Union (AU) Summit has called upon African countries to join Ethiopia in celebrating the upcoming New Millennium, Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin said.
Briefing journalists at the conclusion of the Summit Tuesday, Seyoum said that Africa has accepted the Ethiopian Millennium as an African one as well.
Ethiopia is the only country in the world that has not yet celebrated its millennium, Seyoum said, adding this unique event should be celebrated colourfully not only in Ethiopia but also across Africa.
The celebration of the Ethiopian Millennium would begin as of September 12, 2007.
The government has already established a Millennium Festival National Council Secretariat for the colourful celebration of the Millennium.
Meanwhile, the Ethiopian Millennium Festival National Council Secretariat said that the resolution adopted by the Summit to celebrate the Ethiopian Millennium as African Millennium is a great diplomatic and moral victory to all Ethiopians.
The Secretariat told ENA yesterday that the inclusion of the Ethiopian Millennium celebration as one of the Summit agenda indicates the attention the Summit paid to all Africans.
Ethiopia's calendar is among the national features that makes it unique among African countries, it said.
The fact that Addis is the second city of all Africans and the headquarters of the AU are among the reasons that give the Ethiopian Millennium an African face, the Secretariat added.
The fact that the decision was taken in the presence of several African Heads of State and Government, representatives of various international organizations, and the new UN Secretary General will add imputs for the colourful celebration of the Millennium.
Though other Africans and Europeans celebrated their millennium seven years back, the decision passed by the AU Summit to celebrate the Ethiopian Millennium as an African Millennium provided them as another opportunity to be part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The opportunity the millennium festival offers to promote the good images of Ethiopia would also favour Africa, it said.
The Secretariat said the Summit decision can be taken as a satisfactory response to the call made by the Secretariat to friends of Ethiopia across the world to name the period between September 2000 E.C and September 2001 E.C. (equivalent to Sept. 11, 2007 through September 11 , 2008) "Ethiopian Year."
According to the Secretariat, the decision of the Summit would strengthen the efforts Ethiopia is exerting for development, democratization and good governance as well as to promote its good images.
The decision passed by the African Heads of State and Government to make the Ethiopian Millennium an African Millennium is an indication of the value they attached with and their sense of ownership towards Ethiopian Millennium festival, the Secretariat added.
Friday, February 2, 2007
Ethiopia: Foundation Runs Project in Konso
The Ethiopian Herald (Addis Ababa)
February 2, 2007
Amanuel Hadera
The Sustainable Tourism for Eliminating of Poverty Foundation (ST-EP), a non-governmental organization under the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), has made significant progress in poverty elimination programme in Konso area.
In a joint press conference she gave at the Ghion Hotel yesterday, Ambassador Dho Yong-Shim Chairperson Board of Directors of ST-EP, Ambassador Mohammed Dirir Minister of Culture and Tourism said that the ST-EP in Ethiopia is a new project focusing on the Konso people who were marginalized and forgotten community.
Ambassador Mohammed also said that ST-EP project that has been established at the headquarter of South Korea, Seoul, has touching base with a very marginalized community in Ethiopia like the Konso people. The ST-EP has so far solicited 8,000 USD for the execution of the project, he added.
Ambassador Dho on her part said that state of poverty in Ethiopia now is a reflection of what she had seen at here early childhood in Korea when the per capita was 100 USD. However, Korea is now enjoying a 20,000 USD per capita, she added .
February 2, 2007
Amanuel Hadera
The Sustainable Tourism for Eliminating of Poverty Foundation (ST-EP), a non-governmental organization under the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), has made significant progress in poverty elimination programme in Konso area.
In a joint press conference she gave at the Ghion Hotel yesterday, Ambassador Dho Yong-Shim Chairperson Board of Directors of ST-EP, Ambassador Mohammed Dirir Minister of Culture and Tourism said that the ST-EP in Ethiopia is a new project focusing on the Konso people who were marginalized and forgotten community.
Ambassador Mohammed also said that ST-EP project that has been established at the headquarter of South Korea, Seoul, has touching base with a very marginalized community in Ethiopia like the Konso people. The ST-EP has so far solicited 8,000 USD for the execution of the project, he added.
Ambassador Dho on her part said that state of poverty in Ethiopia now is a reflection of what she had seen at here early childhood in Korea when the per capita was 100 USD. However, Korea is now enjoying a 20,000 USD per capita, she added .
Ethiopia says foiled Eritrean-backed attack
Fri 2 Feb 2007 5:00 AM ET
ADDIS ABABA, Feb 2 (Reuters)
Ethiopia foiled an Eritrean-backed attack that had targeted the African Union summit attended by some 40 heads of states in Addis Ababa this week, an Ethiopian police statement said on Friday.
The two Horn of Africa neighbours are embroiled in a dispute over a border ruling by an independent boundary commission that sets out their common 1,000 km (620 mile) frontier.
Relations between the two deteriorated further when Ethiopia sent troops and weaponry to help Somalia's interim government rout rival Islamists, who Washington and the United Nations say were backed by Eritrea.
Asmara denies the accusation.
"An attempt to launch a series of of terrorist attacks masterminded by senior officials of the Asmara regime and Eritrean explosive experts have successfully been aborted," a police statement said.
"Ethiopia's anti-terrorist task force apprehended all perpetrators of the intended terrorist acts with their explosives and other accessories just ahead of the summit," it added without giving more information.
Eritrean officials were not immediately available for comment.
Ethiopian police said they would make public details of the alleged attempted attack once an investigation was completed.
"The Eritrean regime resorted to such evil attempts when it became alienated from the international community owing to its role in backing and supporting terrorist groups in Somalia," the statement said.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Jendayi Frazer earlier this week described Eritrea as a "source of regional instability".
One of the issues dominating the two-day AU summit held in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa was the question of a peacekeeping force for Somalia to replace Ethiopian soldiers.
ADDIS ABABA, Feb 2 (Reuters)
Ethiopia foiled an Eritrean-backed attack that had targeted the African Union summit attended by some 40 heads of states in Addis Ababa this week, an Ethiopian police statement said on Friday.
The two Horn of Africa neighbours are embroiled in a dispute over a border ruling by an independent boundary commission that sets out their common 1,000 km (620 mile) frontier.
Relations between the two deteriorated further when Ethiopia sent troops and weaponry to help Somalia's interim government rout rival Islamists, who Washington and the United Nations say were backed by Eritrea.
Asmara denies the accusation.
"An attempt to launch a series of of terrorist attacks masterminded by senior officials of the Asmara regime and Eritrean explosive experts have successfully been aborted," a police statement said.
"Ethiopia's anti-terrorist task force apprehended all perpetrators of the intended terrorist acts with their explosives and other accessories just ahead of the summit," it added without giving more information.
Eritrean officials were not immediately available for comment.
Ethiopian police said they would make public details of the alleged attempted attack once an investigation was completed.
"The Eritrean regime resorted to such evil attempts when it became alienated from the international community owing to its role in backing and supporting terrorist groups in Somalia," the statement said.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Jendayi Frazer earlier this week described Eritrea as a "source of regional instability".
One of the issues dominating the two-day AU summit held in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa was the question of a peacekeeping force for Somalia to replace Ethiopian soldiers.
Luncheon with Jane Kurtz - Benefit Event
Please join us for a Luncheon
To benefit Ethiopia Reads
(www.ethiopiareads.org)
Presentation by renowned Children’s Author
Jane Kurtz
February 17, 2007
1:30 p.m.
Etete Restaurant
1942 9th Street NW
Washington, D.C.
Limited Seating – Tickets are $50 per person. Price includes a traditional Ethiopian Meal and a book by Jane. Proceeds to benefit EthiopiaReads.org , a registered 501 (c) 3 organization. Your contribution is tax-deductible as allowed by law.
For tickets or more information about this event, please contact:
Catie Dupont 571-243-1411
E-mail ethiopiareads@aol.com
Raffles & Door Prizes
Books will be available for purchase.
To benefit Ethiopia Reads
(www.ethiopiareads.org)
Presentation by renowned Children’s Author
Jane Kurtz
February 17, 2007
1:30 p.m.
Etete Restaurant
1942 9th Street NW
Washington, D.C.
Limited Seating – Tickets are $50 per person. Price includes a traditional Ethiopian Meal and a book by Jane. Proceeds to benefit EthiopiaReads.org , a registered 501 (c) 3 organization. Your contribution is tax-deductible as allowed by law.
For tickets or more information about this event, please contact:
Catie Dupont 571-243-1411
E-mail ethiopiareads@aol.com
Raffles & Door Prizes
Books will be available for purchase.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Travels in Ethiopia - Part One
Travels in Ethiopia is an ongoing series written by Katie Douglas - look for a continuation of this story in the next issue of Zethiopia.
Zethiopia - January 2007 - Issue 47
The rain is streaming down in sheets reminding me of Africa. A big heavy rain that makes you feels cozy as you sit inside in a sweatshirt with a cup of tea. It’s the perfect time to write. African rain almost always takes you by surprise. The big dark clouds roll in and the slate of a sunny day is wiped clean within a matter of minutes before the sky opens up and buckets of big fat raindrops come pouring down. Sometimes it is only for a few minutes and sometimes it lasts all day. Either way, it is a welcome relief from the sun that somehow feels closer to the earth in that part of the world. The sky is so big in Africa that as you stand and look up it feels like freedom. The rain always makes me think of Africa. It’s much more of a sensory experience there. The smell of fresh earth awakened from a new rain, the feeling of sharp water pelting your skin as you’re caught in a downpour on your walk home, looking out onto a sea of big brightly colored golf umbrellas, and my favorite part, the sound of rain tap dancing on the tin roofs. I have been rained on in Kenya, drenched in Cameroon, and spellbound by the rain beading off my porch roof in Ethiopia and as I sit in my fifth grade classroom in Washington, DC and watch the rain cloud our windows I think of Africa.
It was raining the day I arrived in Ethiopia. After too many hours of flying and wandering foreign airport corridors I had arrived into the maze of Bole International Airport. It was almost midnight when I passed through the last checkpoint into the waiting crowds scanning for a card with my name on it. It only took me a moment to notice the tall, thin, smiling Ethiopian man and short, blond, Australian waiting to meet me. Sisay worked at the children’s library I was here to volunteer with and Seth was a fellow volunteer and housemate. I was too tired for more than brief introductions and as we wound our way through the streets of the city on our way home I gazed out the window at the shadow of my new life for the next six months.
Ethiopia was my third trip to Africa. The trip was inspired by a newspaper article tucked inside one of my grandmother’s letters. The article told the story of an Ethiopian man named Yohannes Gebregiorgis who, after working as a children’s librarian in San Francisco for thirty years, had returned to his home country to create Ethiopia’s first free public children’s library. As soon as I read the article I knew I wanted to be a part of his project. I am always inspired by people who drop everything to follow their dreams and this was my chance to be a part of that. I had no idea what I was stepping into when I stepped off that plane and would soon find Ethiopia to be a fascinating place full of contradictions that would stick with me forever. There are so many things I would like to tell you about Ethiopia and my time there but it’s the small moments in life that always make the biggest impression on me so that’s what I plan on sharing with you here. The little moments that made me smile or cry and inevitably changed my life forever.
Zethiopia - January 2007 - Issue 47
The rain is streaming down in sheets reminding me of Africa. A big heavy rain that makes you feels cozy as you sit inside in a sweatshirt with a cup of tea. It’s the perfect time to write. African rain almost always takes you by surprise. The big dark clouds roll in and the slate of a sunny day is wiped clean within a matter of minutes before the sky opens up and buckets of big fat raindrops come pouring down. Sometimes it is only for a few minutes and sometimes it lasts all day. Either way, it is a welcome relief from the sun that somehow feels closer to the earth in that part of the world. The sky is so big in Africa that as you stand and look up it feels like freedom. The rain always makes me think of Africa. It’s much more of a sensory experience there. The smell of fresh earth awakened from a new rain, the feeling of sharp water pelting your skin as you’re caught in a downpour on your walk home, looking out onto a sea of big brightly colored golf umbrellas, and my favorite part, the sound of rain tap dancing on the tin roofs. I have been rained on in Kenya, drenched in Cameroon, and spellbound by the rain beading off my porch roof in Ethiopia and as I sit in my fifth grade classroom in Washington, DC and watch the rain cloud our windows I think of Africa.
It was raining the day I arrived in Ethiopia. After too many hours of flying and wandering foreign airport corridors I had arrived into the maze of Bole International Airport. It was almost midnight when I passed through the last checkpoint into the waiting crowds scanning for a card with my name on it. It only took me a moment to notice the tall, thin, smiling Ethiopian man and short, blond, Australian waiting to meet me. Sisay worked at the children’s library I was here to volunteer with and Seth was a fellow volunteer and housemate. I was too tired for more than brief introductions and as we wound our way through the streets of the city on our way home I gazed out the window at the shadow of my new life for the next six months.
Ethiopia was my third trip to Africa. The trip was inspired by a newspaper article tucked inside one of my grandmother’s letters. The article told the story of an Ethiopian man named Yohannes Gebregiorgis who, after working as a children’s librarian in San Francisco for thirty years, had returned to his home country to create Ethiopia’s first free public children’s library. As soon as I read the article I knew I wanted to be a part of his project. I am always inspired by people who drop everything to follow their dreams and this was my chance to be a part of that. I had no idea what I was stepping into when I stepped off that plane and would soon find Ethiopia to be a fascinating place full of contradictions that would stick with me forever. There are so many things I would like to tell you about Ethiopia and my time there but it’s the small moments in life that always make the biggest impression on me so that’s what I plan on sharing with you here. The little moments that made me smile or cry and inevitably changed my life forever.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Aregash Lodge – An Oasis in Yirgalem
Part One of an Ongoing Travel Series
Zethiopia - Issue 47
As you plan your trip to Ethiopia for the upcoming Millennium celebration, consider a trip to Yirgalem for a relaxing and inspiring visit to the countryside. Aregash Lodge, located in Yirgalem Town, is a haven from the hustle and bustle of Addis Ababa.
Upon arrival you will be met by the owners, Dmitri Missailidis and Aregash Tarkenj, fabulous hosts who will make you feel more than welcome. While there you will stay in a fully modernized Sidama-style tukul that is set in the rolling countryside and surrounded by lush vegetation.
Meals, a delicious combination of local and European recipes, are served family style in the restaurant, which was also built in the traditional Sidama style using bamboo. If the weather permits, there is a lovely terrace where you can take your meals and soak in the view.
When we visited Yirgalem, we took our small children, then aged 2 and 7, and they fell in love with the landscape, the flora and the animals. Family-friendly staff and a world of adventure await you.
A highlight for my children was after the evening coffee ceremony when Dmitri called to the resident hyenas who, upon hearing him, sauntered up the hill to near where we were for a meal provided by our host. Smaller than the hyenas seen in Addis, it was very exciting for them to be so close.
On a walk through a nearby village, led by a Sidama speaking guide, the children loved the Gureza (Amharic for Colobus monkeys) swinging from the trees. They loved hiking through the forested hills and visiting with the local children.
Aregash Lodge is the ideal retreat spot. There are board games and books available if you would like to relax at the lodge without hiking or adventure. It would be a wonderful location for a group meeting or retreat; the restaurant can accommodate fifty people and can be used for conferences. The sleeping tukuls have a variety of options for group sleeping arrangements.
We recommend taking your time en route, a stop in Shashamene or at Langano for lunch on the way will break up the 300+ kilometer drive. Once beyond Debra Zeit, the scenery becomes peaceful and the trip smooth. Aregash Lodge is approximately 30 minutes beyond Awassa.
For reservations or more information, contact All Tour Operations in Addis Ababa at 251-11-551-254. When we visited we had to make our reservations and pay in Addis prior to our arrival at the Lodge.
www.Aregashlodge.com
Zethiopia - Issue 47
As you plan your trip to Ethiopia for the upcoming Millennium celebration, consider a trip to Yirgalem for a relaxing and inspiring visit to the countryside. Aregash Lodge, located in Yirgalem Town, is a haven from the hustle and bustle of Addis Ababa.
Upon arrival you will be met by the owners, Dmitri Missailidis and Aregash Tarkenj, fabulous hosts who will make you feel more than welcome. While there you will stay in a fully modernized Sidama-style tukul that is set in the rolling countryside and surrounded by lush vegetation.
Meals, a delicious combination of local and European recipes, are served family style in the restaurant, which was also built in the traditional Sidama style using bamboo. If the weather permits, there is a lovely terrace where you can take your meals and soak in the view.
When we visited Yirgalem, we took our small children, then aged 2 and 7, and they fell in love with the landscape, the flora and the animals. Family-friendly staff and a world of adventure await you.
A highlight for my children was after the evening coffee ceremony when Dmitri called to the resident hyenas who, upon hearing him, sauntered up the hill to near where we were for a meal provided by our host. Smaller than the hyenas seen in Addis, it was very exciting for them to be so close.
On a walk through a nearby village, led by a Sidama speaking guide, the children loved the Gureza (Amharic for Colobus monkeys) swinging from the trees. They loved hiking through the forested hills and visiting with the local children.
Aregash Lodge is the ideal retreat spot. There are board games and books available if you would like to relax at the lodge without hiking or adventure. It would be a wonderful location for a group meeting or retreat; the restaurant can accommodate fifty people and can be used for conferences. The sleeping tukuls have a variety of options for group sleeping arrangements.
We recommend taking your time en route, a stop in Shashamene or at Langano for lunch on the way will break up the 300+ kilometer drive. Once beyond Debra Zeit, the scenery becomes peaceful and the trip smooth. Aregash Lodge is approximately 30 minutes beyond Awassa.
For reservations or more information, contact All Tour Operations in Addis Ababa at 251-11-551-254. When we visited we had to make our reservations and pay in Addis prior to our arrival at the Lodge.
www.Aregashlodge.com
Parenting - Dr. Laura S. Anderson - Article One
Part 1 in an Ongoing series of Parenting & Lifestyle Articles - look for the next article in Zethiopia - February
January - Zethiopia Issue 47
The task of talking about parenting in a concise and helpful way is a daunting one. Raising children is a mammoth 24-hour-a-day, life-long, job that cannot be neatly described, any more than the “cures” for parenting challenges can be easily prescribed.
Furthermore, raising children in a “new” cultural setting, or when they are surrounded by values and lifestyles that are different from the ones you knew in your youth adds other dimensions of richness and difficulty.
However, within the realm of child psychology, there are consistent themes in the factors that lead to raising happy, healthy, kind children who successfully navigate life’s demands. I often tell parents in my practice that they are the experts on their own children’s daily functioning (who could possibly know them better than you do?) but that I am an expert in theories on raising secure children and shaping their behavior as they grow. By “raising secure children” I mean guiding your children to be confident (but not arrogant), respectful, trustworthy, caring children who believe in their abilities to make their dreams come true. By “shaping their behavior” I mean that I provide parents with the strategies for giving children
what kids need so that they will do what parents want them to do. I will offer some information about recognized child development themes so that you can apply them with your specific knowledge of your family’s personalities and strengths.
This column will follow two themes: 1) how to meet the loftier long-term goal of raising “good kids” with whom you have good relationships by developing their self-esteem, instilling confidence, establishing moral values, and creating healthy communication with your child, and 2) how to develop effective coping strategies for daily challenges such as toileting, sibling rivalry, handling teasing, coping with family stressors, getting through morning routines before school and homework routines after school with no “meltdowns”, disciplinary strategies that work, and many more.
In summary, effective parenting is hard work and there is no magic wand to make the tough spots disappear. I hope that information shared here will help make parenting easier. The good news is that when you start with love for your children and the desire to learn more about how you can influence their development, you are well on your way to being the best parent you can be.
Dr. Laura Anderson is a licensed clinical psychologist who is currently living and practicing psychology on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. She specializes in the provision of psychological services to children and families and in the delivery of competent cross-cultural services. She loves children and appreciates the challenges related to parenting them. Dr. Anderson has also lived and/or traveled extensively in Southern, Central and Northern Africa and feels blessed to have had opportunities to learn from Africa’s marvelous, complex and diverse teachings.
January - Zethiopia Issue 47
The task of talking about parenting in a concise and helpful way is a daunting one. Raising children is a mammoth 24-hour-a-day, life-long, job that cannot be neatly described, any more than the “cures” for parenting challenges can be easily prescribed.
Furthermore, raising children in a “new” cultural setting, or when they are surrounded by values and lifestyles that are different from the ones you knew in your youth adds other dimensions of richness and difficulty.
However, within the realm of child psychology, there are consistent themes in the factors that lead to raising happy, healthy, kind children who successfully navigate life’s demands. I often tell parents in my practice that they are the experts on their own children’s daily functioning (who could possibly know them better than you do?) but that I am an expert in theories on raising secure children and shaping their behavior as they grow. By “raising secure children” I mean guiding your children to be confident (but not arrogant), respectful, trustworthy, caring children who believe in their abilities to make their dreams come true. By “shaping their behavior” I mean that I provide parents with the strategies for giving children
what kids need so that they will do what parents want them to do. I will offer some information about recognized child development themes so that you can apply them with your specific knowledge of your family’s personalities and strengths.
This column will follow two themes: 1) how to meet the loftier long-term goal of raising “good kids” with whom you have good relationships by developing their self-esteem, instilling confidence, establishing moral values, and creating healthy communication with your child, and 2) how to develop effective coping strategies for daily challenges such as toileting, sibling rivalry, handling teasing, coping with family stressors, getting through morning routines before school and homework routines after school with no “meltdowns”, disciplinary strategies that work, and many more.
In summary, effective parenting is hard work and there is no magic wand to make the tough spots disappear. I hope that information shared here will help make parenting easier. The good news is that when you start with love for your children and the desire to learn more about how you can influence their development, you are well on your way to being the best parent you can be.
Dr. Laura Anderson is a licensed clinical psychologist who is currently living and practicing psychology on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. She specializes in the provision of psychological services to children and families and in the delivery of competent cross-cultural services. She loves children and appreciates the challenges related to parenting them. Dr. Anderson has also lived and/or traveled extensively in Southern, Central and Northern Africa and feels blessed to have had opportunities to learn from Africa’s marvelous, complex and diverse teachings.
U.S. Official Issues Upbeat Assessment of African Union Summit
State’s Frazer says watchword was cooperation on Somalia, Sudan issues
By Jim Fisher-Thompson
USINFO Staff Writer
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer wrapped up a busy schedule of meetings at a summit of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, by highlighting cooperative efforts on nettlesome issues like conflict in Sudan and Somalia.
Speaking at a January 30 press conference in the Ethiopian capital, Frazer said she had "excellent consultations" on Somalia and Sudan, as well as on a range of other issues important to achieving stability on the continent.
"We have also had good consultations on our partnership on regional peacekeeping, on economic development and on elections support," she said. The last was important, the official added, because West Africa alone has 11 elections coming up this next year.
On Sudan, Frazer said the focus of her consultations was on speeding up the three phases of the “Addis Ababa package” of peacekeeping and reconstruction efforts -- "the light assistance package, the heavy package of enabling forces, and the AU-U.N. hybrid force."
The United Nations has mandated a larger peacekeeping force to augment the 7,000 AU forces that are overstretched in Sudan trying to maintain peace in Darfur while monitoring parts of the North-South Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
The United States has a lot at stake in trying to speed up the deployment of this hybrid force, she told journalists, because "we spend about $1.3 billion annually in Sudan -- half in Darfur, half in Southern Sudan."
SOMALIA
Turning to Somalia, where a radical Islamist force was defeated recently with the help of the Ethiopian military, Frazer said the United States is "very happy" with AU members Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi, Burundi and Uganda, who have volunteered peacekeepers to replace the Ethiopians with an AU-mandated force called the African Union Mission in Somalia.
She again mentioned the U.S. decision to provide $40 million for the reconstruction of war-torn Somalia, noting that $14 million will go to support the new AU peacekeeping force. She also reiterated that $10 million would go for development assistance "to build the capacity of the Transitional Federal Government [TFG]."
Asked if she supported talks between Somalia's transitional government and the radical Islamist Council of Islamic Courts (CIC), Frazer emphasized that "the U.S. government has never asked the TFG to negotiate with terrorists. That is not our position. What we have said is that there are individuals who were members of the Council of Islamic Courts … who come out of the organic Islamic courts, who should be part of an inclusive dialogue as individuals. But we do not support the reconstitution of the Council of Islamic Courts."
Commenting on the report of a jihadist Web site threatening to attack any peacekeepers that enter Somalia, Frazer said: "It doesn’t surprise me that you would find that type of extremist message on a Web site. It’s been there throughout. Clearly, the Council of Islamic Courts made such threats against the Ethiopians and against the Transitional Federal Government.
"That very same Council of Islamic Courts was thoroughly defeated militarily. The real message behind it is to try to intimidate the African Union and the international community not to assist the people of Somalia," she added.
Frazer said the U.S. commitment to Somalia is "long-term," in part "to prevent Somalia from becoming a threat to its neighbors in terms of regional stability, and from becoming a safe haven for terrorists."
Commenting on Eritrean support for the CIC, Frazer said, "The government of Eritrea was providing arms and providing fighters and training the al Shabaab militia of the CIC, which was the most extremist arm of the CIC."
In the future, she said, "we would hope that the government of Eritrea would play a constructive role in terms of trying to support the Transitional Federal Government and not continue to support remnants of the CIC that are bent on terror or insurgency."
Frazer also complimented the new AU chairman, President John Kufuor of Ghana, noting, "He is a man of great experience, great standing on this continent, and we are looking forward to the year ahead working with the AU."
(USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
By Jim Fisher-Thompson
USINFO Staff Writer
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer wrapped up a busy schedule of meetings at a summit of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, by highlighting cooperative efforts on nettlesome issues like conflict in Sudan and Somalia.
Speaking at a January 30 press conference in the Ethiopian capital, Frazer said she had "excellent consultations" on Somalia and Sudan, as well as on a range of other issues important to achieving stability on the continent.
"We have also had good consultations on our partnership on regional peacekeeping, on economic development and on elections support," she said. The last was important, the official added, because West Africa alone has 11 elections coming up this next year.
On Sudan, Frazer said the focus of her consultations was on speeding up the three phases of the “Addis Ababa package” of peacekeeping and reconstruction efforts -- "the light assistance package, the heavy package of enabling forces, and the AU-U.N. hybrid force."
The United Nations has mandated a larger peacekeeping force to augment the 7,000 AU forces that are overstretched in Sudan trying to maintain peace in Darfur while monitoring parts of the North-South Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
The United States has a lot at stake in trying to speed up the deployment of this hybrid force, she told journalists, because "we spend about $1.3 billion annually in Sudan -- half in Darfur, half in Southern Sudan."
SOMALIA
Turning to Somalia, where a radical Islamist force was defeated recently with the help of the Ethiopian military, Frazer said the United States is "very happy" with AU members Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi, Burundi and Uganda, who have volunteered peacekeepers to replace the Ethiopians with an AU-mandated force called the African Union Mission in Somalia.
She again mentioned the U.S. decision to provide $40 million for the reconstruction of war-torn Somalia, noting that $14 million will go to support the new AU peacekeeping force. She also reiterated that $10 million would go for development assistance "to build the capacity of the Transitional Federal Government [TFG]."
Asked if she supported talks between Somalia's transitional government and the radical Islamist Council of Islamic Courts (CIC), Frazer emphasized that "the U.S. government has never asked the TFG to negotiate with terrorists. That is not our position. What we have said is that there are individuals who were members of the Council of Islamic Courts … who come out of the organic Islamic courts, who should be part of an inclusive dialogue as individuals. But we do not support the reconstitution of the Council of Islamic Courts."
Commenting on the report of a jihadist Web site threatening to attack any peacekeepers that enter Somalia, Frazer said: "It doesn’t surprise me that you would find that type of extremist message on a Web site. It’s been there throughout. Clearly, the Council of Islamic Courts made such threats against the Ethiopians and against the Transitional Federal Government.
"That very same Council of Islamic Courts was thoroughly defeated militarily. The real message behind it is to try to intimidate the African Union and the international community not to assist the people of Somalia," she added.
Frazer said the U.S. commitment to Somalia is "long-term," in part "to prevent Somalia from becoming a threat to its neighbors in terms of regional stability, and from becoming a safe haven for terrorists."
Commenting on Eritrean support for the CIC, Frazer said, "The government of Eritrea was providing arms and providing fighters and training the al Shabaab militia of the CIC, which was the most extremist arm of the CIC."
In the future, she said, "we would hope that the government of Eritrea would play a constructive role in terms of trying to support the Transitional Federal Government and not continue to support remnants of the CIC that are bent on terror or insurgency."
Frazer also complimented the new AU chairman, President John Kufuor of Ghana, noting, "He is a man of great experience, great standing on this continent, and we are looking forward to the year ahead working with the AU."
(USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Spain to provide seven million Euros to Ethiopia
Addis Ababa, January 30, 2007 (Addis Ababa)
The government of Spain would provide a development assistance amounting seven million Euros to Ethiopia, senior Spanish government officials said.
State Minister for International Cooperation Ms. Leire Pajin and State Minister for Political Affairs of Spain Bernardino Leon Gross said the Spanish government has decided to open a new office in Ethiopia with in a month to facilitate the development assistance.
The officials made the statement here on Tuesday while holding talks with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi at the United Nations Conference Center.
Ethiopia and Spain have signed a development and cultural cooperation agreement on the same day.
The officials said Ethiopia is one of the four countries that are given special attention by the Kingdom of Spain.
Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on his part said the existing cooperation between Ethiopia and Spain was encouraging.
Meles called on the Spanish government to provide necessary assistance to Spanish investors with a view to enabling them engage in various investment sectors in Ethiopia to strengthen the ties between the two countries.
The officials said the Spanish government would do its level best to enable Spanish investors invest in Ethiopia.
Two separate Spanish delegations would come to Ethiopia in the near future to conduct a study on investment situations and other sectors in Ethiopia.
The officials also expressed Spain’s readiness to work jointly in economic and other sectors with Ethiopia.
The officials on the occasion invited Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to visit the Kingdom of Spain.
The government of Spain would provide a development assistance amounting seven million Euros to Ethiopia, senior Spanish government officials said.
State Minister for International Cooperation Ms. Leire Pajin and State Minister for Political Affairs of Spain Bernardino Leon Gross said the Spanish government has decided to open a new office in Ethiopia with in a month to facilitate the development assistance.
The officials made the statement here on Tuesday while holding talks with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi at the United Nations Conference Center.
Ethiopia and Spain have signed a development and cultural cooperation agreement on the same day.
The officials said Ethiopia is one of the four countries that are given special attention by the Kingdom of Spain.
Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on his part said the existing cooperation between Ethiopia and Spain was encouraging.
Meles called on the Spanish government to provide necessary assistance to Spanish investors with a view to enabling them engage in various investment sectors in Ethiopia to strengthen the ties between the two countries.
The officials said the Spanish government would do its level best to enable Spanish investors invest in Ethiopia.
Two separate Spanish delegations would come to Ethiopia in the near future to conduct a study on investment situations and other sectors in Ethiopia.
The officials also expressed Spain’s readiness to work jointly in economic and other sectors with Ethiopia.
The officials on the occasion invited Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to visit the Kingdom of Spain.
Court sends journalist Abraham Reta back to jail
Alem Asrat
Ethiopian Review Correspondent
Jan 27, 2007
Addis Ababa - The harassment and jailing of journalists and members of opposition parties continue unabated. The latest victim is Ato Abraham Reta of Ruh newspaper.
Abraham was charged with defamation, but he was released on 2,000 birr bail 10 months ago after spending 4 months in jail.
The defamation charge against Abraham states that he wrote in Ruh newspaper that a certain report by the state-run Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) was unsubstantiated.
The court yesterday made a mockery out of justice by ruling that Abraham has defamed the ENA and sentenced him to six months in jail.
Ruh newspaper has been shut down since November 2005 along with all the other independent newspapers. The editors and reporters are currently either in jail, or in hiding.
Ethiopian Review Correspondent
Jan 27, 2007
Addis Ababa - The harassment and jailing of journalists and members of opposition parties continue unabated. The latest victim is Ato Abraham Reta of Ruh newspaper.
Abraham was charged with defamation, but he was released on 2,000 birr bail 10 months ago after spending 4 months in jail.
The defamation charge against Abraham states that he wrote in Ruh newspaper that a certain report by the state-run Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) was unsubstantiated.
The court yesterday made a mockery out of justice by ruling that Abraham has defamed the ENA and sentenced him to six months in jail.
Ruh newspaper has been shut down since November 2005 along with all the other independent newspapers. The editors and reporters are currently either in jail, or in hiding.
The Other War in Ethiopia
from the Ethopian Media Forum
By Dave Kopel, Paul Gallant & Joanne D. Eisen
The world is watching Ethiopia's war with the totalitarian Islamist regime in Somalia. The world should also start paying attention to the campaign of genocide which the Ethiopian government has been waging against its own people, in southwestern Ethiopia, in the state of Gambella.
Today, the Anuak are being exterminated, while the central government of Ethiopia tells the world to ignore the violence, claiming that it is merely an inter-tribal conflict.
Gambella is in southwestern Ethiopia, bordering Sudan. It is been the home of five ethnic groups: the Anuak, Nuer, Majangir, Opo and Komo. The Anuaks and the Nuer are the largest groups and have long feuded over the land and its resources. The Anuaks, who live atop gold and oil reserves, number approximately 150,000.
A mainly agricultural people, the majority of Anuak inhabit Gambella, although some live in eastern Sudan, and some have recently been displaced to Kenya and the US. Gambella also hosts UN refugee camps, for people who have fled the decades-long genocide in south Sudan.
The central government, in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, has disarmed most of the Anuak, and even disarmed Anuak police officers. Ethiopia is among the East African nations which have promised to conduct campaigns against civilian gun ownership, as part of the United Nations-sponsored Nairobi Protocol. Like several other signers of the Nairobi Protocol (Rwanda, Uganda, Congo, Sudan), Ethiopia already had a well-established record of genocide against disarmed victims.
On December 13, 2003, eight UN workers were ambushed and killed. Although the perpetrators were never caught, the blame for their deaths fell on the Anuaks; the subsequent massacre of Anuaks was blamed on the Nuer.
The Ethiopian government vehemently and persistently denies its participation in the violence against the Anuaks. But consider the following:
With the expectation of the discovery of oil in the state of Gambella, the government in Addis Ababa has developed a keen interest in exploiting the region.
After the massacre of the UN workers, an Anuak police officer, Ojo Akway, observed tracks leading from the crime scene, yet he was not permitted to investigate. Instead, he was arrested and then shot dead.
Seven months later, another investigator was also shot and killed. The humanitarian group Genocide Watch wonders why the UN has not investigated the deaths of its own personnel. Who benefits the most from this cover-up? Have UN workers been warned that if they speak up, they will expelled?
According to a report by Genocide Watch, at an Ethiopian cabinet meeting in September 2003, government officials and military officers discussed ethnic cleansing of the Anuak, and the benefits of destroying Anuak leadership. A military official told Genocide Watch that he was present at a subsequent meeting on December 11, 2003, just two days prior to the murders of the UN personnel. At that meeting, government officials discussed eliminating Anuaks in a military campaign in Gambella, code-named "Operation Sunny Mountain."
Subsequent behavior of the Ethiopian army is consistent with a plan to destroy the Anuak. As detailed in a statement by an Anuak representative that was delivered to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Ethiopian army is perpetrating extrajudicial killings, beatings, torture, rape, sexual slavery and the destruction of Anuak properties. As a result, 50% of the Anuak population has been displaced.
The pattern of rape described by the victims appears to be systematic, and designed to create pregnancies that would produce non-Anuak children; such use of rape deliberately destroy an ethnic group is considered, under international law, to be a type of genocide.
And, of course, directly killing people is also a method of genocide. An anonymous Anuak spokesperson told the UN's OHCHR that from 2003-2005, up to "15,000 Anywa [Anuak] people have been killed in different villages by the Ethiopian national defence force militaries in trying to clear the area from the indigenous Anywa people and to facilitate the ongoing oil exploration in the land of the indigenous Anywa people ...."
Government guilt became especially evident in April 2006, when there was an attempt to capture eighteen Anuak resistance leaders who had fled to a refugee camp in south Sudan. These leaders could render potentially damaging eye-witness accounts of the 2003 massacre of Anuak by the Nuer. The Ethiopian army, under the guise of a disarmament exercise (that is, gun confiscation), rampaged through numerous villages on both sides of the Ethiopia-Sudan border. The "disarmament" campaign was accompanied by rape, pillaging, and murder.
As the Ethiopian army advanced towards the Alari Refugee Camp in Pochalla, Sudan, surviving Anuak villagers warned the refugees in the camp. Then, the tribal leader of the Anuak in Sudan, King Adonga, vowed that the Sudan Anuak would protect the refugees "with whatever it takes, even spears." The refugees moved the vulnerable in their camp to a safer location, while they and King Adonga's forces prepared for a violent confrontation.
The Anuaks contacted several people in the international community and alerted them to the imminent slaughter. With the plan exposed to potential donor governments, the Ethiopian regime aborted the invasion, and denied any hostile intention.
But in August 2006, over a dozen villages in Gambella were ethnically cleansed. The villagers were suddenly ordered to leave, to just go away, by the Ethiopian National Defense Forces. The Anuak Justice Council claims that there is extreme hardship for these new refugees because of a lack of clean water, food, and shelter, and that Anuaks are killed with impunity almost daily.
Human Rights Watch accuses the Ethiopian government of "human rights abuses so severe that they may rise to the level of crimes against humanity...."
It's not surprising that hardly anyone has heard of what the Ethiopian government has been doing to the Anuak. The world has barely paid attention even to the human rights atrocities perpetrated in Ethiopia's capital of Addis Ababa and other cities, after the disputed elections of May 2005. A recently-leaked report revealed that police killed 193 protesters, injured 763, and arrested over 100 others. These opposition leaders and journalists are now on trial for treason. And oh, what else? Attempted genocide!
Ana Gomes, the European Union observer at the 2005 elections, said that European leaders remain silent because "they want to continue dealing as usual with the Ethiopian regime."
One journalist, Qeerransoo Biyyaa, who writes only under his pseudonym because of fear of retribution, told us the government has created so many enemies that he predicts the current regime will be overthrown within 3-5 years. Biyyaa added: "I am living in a country where millions live in fear and their mouths are gagged."
By Dave Kopel, Paul Gallant & Joanne D. Eisen
The world is watching Ethiopia's war with the totalitarian Islamist regime in Somalia. The world should also start paying attention to the campaign of genocide which the Ethiopian government has been waging against its own people, in southwestern Ethiopia, in the state of Gambella.
Today, the Anuak are being exterminated, while the central government of Ethiopia tells the world to ignore the violence, claiming that it is merely an inter-tribal conflict.
Gambella is in southwestern Ethiopia, bordering Sudan. It is been the home of five ethnic groups: the Anuak, Nuer, Majangir, Opo and Komo. The Anuaks and the Nuer are the largest groups and have long feuded over the land and its resources. The Anuaks, who live atop gold and oil reserves, number approximately 150,000.
A mainly agricultural people, the majority of Anuak inhabit Gambella, although some live in eastern Sudan, and some have recently been displaced to Kenya and the US. Gambella also hosts UN refugee camps, for people who have fled the decades-long genocide in south Sudan.
The central government, in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, has disarmed most of the Anuak, and even disarmed Anuak police officers. Ethiopia is among the East African nations which have promised to conduct campaigns against civilian gun ownership, as part of the United Nations-sponsored Nairobi Protocol. Like several other signers of the Nairobi Protocol (Rwanda, Uganda, Congo, Sudan), Ethiopia already had a well-established record of genocide against disarmed victims.
On December 13, 2003, eight UN workers were ambushed and killed. Although the perpetrators were never caught, the blame for their deaths fell on the Anuaks; the subsequent massacre of Anuaks was blamed on the Nuer.
The Ethiopian government vehemently and persistently denies its participation in the violence against the Anuaks. But consider the following:
With the expectation of the discovery of oil in the state of Gambella, the government in Addis Ababa has developed a keen interest in exploiting the region.
After the massacre of the UN workers, an Anuak police officer, Ojo Akway, observed tracks leading from the crime scene, yet he was not permitted to investigate. Instead, he was arrested and then shot dead.
Seven months later, another investigator was also shot and killed. The humanitarian group Genocide Watch wonders why the UN has not investigated the deaths of its own personnel. Who benefits the most from this cover-up? Have UN workers been warned that if they speak up, they will expelled?
According to a report by Genocide Watch, at an Ethiopian cabinet meeting in September 2003, government officials and military officers discussed ethnic cleansing of the Anuak, and the benefits of destroying Anuak leadership. A military official told Genocide Watch that he was present at a subsequent meeting on December 11, 2003, just two days prior to the murders of the UN personnel. At that meeting, government officials discussed eliminating Anuaks in a military campaign in Gambella, code-named "Operation Sunny Mountain."
Subsequent behavior of the Ethiopian army is consistent with a plan to destroy the Anuak. As detailed in a statement by an Anuak representative that was delivered to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Ethiopian army is perpetrating extrajudicial killings, beatings, torture, rape, sexual slavery and the destruction of Anuak properties. As a result, 50% of the Anuak population has been displaced.
The pattern of rape described by the victims appears to be systematic, and designed to create pregnancies that would produce non-Anuak children; such use of rape deliberately destroy an ethnic group is considered, under international law, to be a type of genocide.
And, of course, directly killing people is also a method of genocide. An anonymous Anuak spokesperson told the UN's OHCHR that from 2003-2005, up to "15,000 Anywa [Anuak] people have been killed in different villages by the Ethiopian national defence force militaries in trying to clear the area from the indigenous Anywa people and to facilitate the ongoing oil exploration in the land of the indigenous Anywa people ...."
Government guilt became especially evident in April 2006, when there was an attempt to capture eighteen Anuak resistance leaders who had fled to a refugee camp in south Sudan. These leaders could render potentially damaging eye-witness accounts of the 2003 massacre of Anuak by the Nuer. The Ethiopian army, under the guise of a disarmament exercise (that is, gun confiscation), rampaged through numerous villages on both sides of the Ethiopia-Sudan border. The "disarmament" campaign was accompanied by rape, pillaging, and murder.
As the Ethiopian army advanced towards the Alari Refugee Camp in Pochalla, Sudan, surviving Anuak villagers warned the refugees in the camp. Then, the tribal leader of the Anuak in Sudan, King Adonga, vowed that the Sudan Anuak would protect the refugees "with whatever it takes, even spears." The refugees moved the vulnerable in their camp to a safer location, while they and King Adonga's forces prepared for a violent confrontation.
The Anuaks contacted several people in the international community and alerted them to the imminent slaughter. With the plan exposed to potential donor governments, the Ethiopian regime aborted the invasion, and denied any hostile intention.
But in August 2006, over a dozen villages in Gambella were ethnically cleansed. The villagers were suddenly ordered to leave, to just go away, by the Ethiopian National Defense Forces. The Anuak Justice Council claims that there is extreme hardship for these new refugees because of a lack of clean water, food, and shelter, and that Anuaks are killed with impunity almost daily.
Human Rights Watch accuses the Ethiopian government of "human rights abuses so severe that they may rise to the level of crimes against humanity...."
It's not surprising that hardly anyone has heard of what the Ethiopian government has been doing to the Anuak. The world has barely paid attention even to the human rights atrocities perpetrated in Ethiopia's capital of Addis Ababa and other cities, after the disputed elections of May 2005. A recently-leaked report revealed that police killed 193 protesters, injured 763, and arrested over 100 others. These opposition leaders and journalists are now on trial for treason. And oh, what else? Attempted genocide!
Ana Gomes, the European Union observer at the 2005 elections, said that European leaders remain silent because "they want to continue dealing as usual with the Ethiopian regime."
One journalist, Qeerransoo Biyyaa, who writes only under his pseudonym because of fear of retribution, told us the government has created so many enemies that he predicts the current regime will be overthrown within 3-5 years. Biyyaa added: "I am living in a country where millions live in fear and their mouths are gagged."
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Endelkachew Girma Art Show in Portland, Oregon
Ethiopia Reads and Sohbet Cafe invite you to celebrate the work of renowned Ethiopian artist Endelkachew Girma.
Opening Reception and Sale - Friday, February 2, 2007 - 6 p.m.
SohBet Cafe - 2710 N. Killingsworth Avenue, Portland, Oregon 503-735-3446
Light refreshments provided by Queen of Sheba.
A portion of proceeds benefit Ethiopia Reads, which works to build a reading culture in Ethiopia. For more information regarding Ethiopia Reads visit www.ethiopiareads.org.
Hope to see you there!
T. Dibaba breaks her own 5,000-meter indoor record
Associated Press
Track and Field News Wire
BOSTON -- Olympic bronze medalist Tirunesh Dibaba broke her
own world record in the 5,000 meters at the Boston Indoor Games on
Saturday to claim a $25,000 bonus and family bragging rights over
big sister Ejegayehu.
The younger Dibaba, who was third in the 5,000 at the Athens
Games, finished in 14 minutes, 27.42 seconds -- 5.5 seconds less than
she needed to set the world mark at the Reggie Lewis track two
years ago. Ejegayehu Dibaba, who won silver in Athens in the
10,000, was second, 42 seconds behind.
"I'm happy to run with my sister because she helps me a lot,"
said Tirunesh Dibaba, who in 2005 was the first athlete ever to win
the world championships at both 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters.
"Today, she was really under the weather, but she did her best."
Fellow Ethiopian Meseret Defar, the reigning outdoor world
record holder and Olympic champion at 5,000 meters, was also sick
Saturday. But it didn't stop her from outkicking local favorite
Shalane Flanagan to win the 3,000 in 8:30.31.
Flanagan, who was running for just the second time since
undergoing foot surgery following the 2005 world championships, ran
on Defar's heels before the Ethiopian started putting some distance
between them in the last two laps. Flanagan finished in 8:33.25 to
break the American record by almost 6 seconds.
"I knew I had the potential to break the American record. I'm
very happy to see it fall," said Flanagan, who had surgery to
remove an extra bone in her left foot and didn't run for 15 months
before winning the Manchester (Conn.) Road Race in November. "I'll
take that, for today. But who knows what I could have done."
Defar lay on the track floor after the race, while a race
official covered her with windbreakers. After about 10 minutes, she
rolled over to cough violently, while Flanagan spoke to reporters
nearby.
"Defar is really sick," said Flanagan, a Massachusetts high
school champion from Marblehead. "She really helped me today. I
have to say, if it weren't for her I don't think I would have
broken the record because I wouldn't have run so aggressively."
Alan Webb, who broke Jim Ryun's schoolboy record in 2001, won
the mile in 3:55.18, taking the lead early and never relinquishing
it.
"Everybody knew the pace was going to go fast. I mean, we
talked about it beforehand," Webb said. "So I don't know how I
surprised anybody by going out fast. By the time I got to 250
meters, I was alone already. So I was kind of like, 'all right."
American Shawn Crawford, the Olympic gold medalist in the 200
meters in Athens, won the 60 in 6.55 seconds despite being critical
of his own performance.
"My legs were behind me the whole race," he said. "I guess if
you train hard and you focus, you can do good with mistakes."
Dan Taylor topped an all-U.S. field in the shot put with a throw
of 70 feet, 9\ inches, beating four-time world champion John
Godina, 2006 world indoor champion Reese Hoffa and '04 world indoor
champ Christian Cantwell.
Track and Field News Wire
BOSTON -- Olympic bronze medalist Tirunesh Dibaba broke her
own world record in the 5,000 meters at the Boston Indoor Games on
Saturday to claim a $25,000 bonus and family bragging rights over
big sister Ejegayehu.
The younger Dibaba, who was third in the 5,000 at the Athens
Games, finished in 14 minutes, 27.42 seconds -- 5.5 seconds less than
she needed to set the world mark at the Reggie Lewis track two
years ago. Ejegayehu Dibaba, who won silver in Athens in the
10,000, was second, 42 seconds behind.
"I'm happy to run with my sister because she helps me a lot,"
said Tirunesh Dibaba, who in 2005 was the first athlete ever to win
the world championships at both 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters.
"Today, she was really under the weather, but she did her best."
Fellow Ethiopian Meseret Defar, the reigning outdoor world
record holder and Olympic champion at 5,000 meters, was also sick
Saturday. But it didn't stop her from outkicking local favorite
Shalane Flanagan to win the 3,000 in 8:30.31.
Flanagan, who was running for just the second time since
undergoing foot surgery following the 2005 world championships, ran
on Defar's heels before the Ethiopian started putting some distance
between them in the last two laps. Flanagan finished in 8:33.25 to
break the American record by almost 6 seconds.
"I knew I had the potential to break the American record. I'm
very happy to see it fall," said Flanagan, who had surgery to
remove an extra bone in her left foot and didn't run for 15 months
before winning the Manchester (Conn.) Road Race in November. "I'll
take that, for today. But who knows what I could have done."
Defar lay on the track floor after the race, while a race
official covered her with windbreakers. After about 10 minutes, she
rolled over to cough violently, while Flanagan spoke to reporters
nearby.
"Defar is really sick," said Flanagan, a Massachusetts high
school champion from Marblehead. "She really helped me today. I
have to say, if it weren't for her I don't think I would have
broken the record because I wouldn't have run so aggressively."
Alan Webb, who broke Jim Ryun's schoolboy record in 2001, won
the mile in 3:55.18, taking the lead early and never relinquishing
it.
"Everybody knew the pace was going to go fast. I mean, we
talked about it beforehand," Webb said. "So I don't know how I
surprised anybody by going out fast. By the time I got to 250
meters, I was alone already. So I was kind of like, 'all right."
American Shawn Crawford, the Olympic gold medalist in the 200
meters in Athens, won the 60 in 6.55 seconds despite being critical
of his own performance.
"My legs were behind me the whole race," he said. "I guess if
you train hard and you focus, you can do good with mistakes."
Dan Taylor topped an all-U.S. field in the shot put with a throw
of 70 feet, 9\ inches, beating four-time world champion John
Godina, 2006 world indoor champion Reese Hoffa and '04 world indoor
champ Christian Cantwell.
Wubet Announces Newest Ethiopian Textile Collection
Your are cordially invited to view,
The new WUBET Winter 2007 08 collection "No. 7"
February 1 - 4, 2007 at Première Classe
Porte de Versailles, Hall 4 #816
Paris
March 2 - 5, 2007 at Première Classe
Jardin des Tuileries
Paris
WUBET is an exclusive collection of individually hand made accessories.
Each piece is a unique work of art made from the finest quality raw materials,
inspired by the original crafts and traditions of Ethiopian and African tribes.
Contact for WUBET:
Arnold Haas, P.O. Box 613, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
T +251.11.661.1740 F +251.11.661.3375
Email: info@wubet.com, www.wubet.com
The new WUBET Winter 2007 08 collection "No. 7"
February 1 - 4, 2007 at Première Classe
Porte de Versailles, Hall 4 #816
Paris
March 2 - 5, 2007 at Première Classe
Jardin des Tuileries
Paris
WUBET is an exclusive collection of individually hand made accessories.
Each piece is a unique work of art made from the finest quality raw materials,
inspired by the original crafts and traditions of Ethiopian and African tribes.
Contact for WUBET:
Arnold Haas, P.O. Box 613, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
T +251.11.661.1740 F +251.11.661.3375
Email: info@wubet.com, www.wubet.com
USAID Donates 30,000 Books to Teacher Education Institutions
US Embassy Addis Ababa - Press Release
January 23, 2004
No. 04/07
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Ethiopia donated nearly 30,000 books to the Ministry of Education today as part of its Basic Education Program on Tuesday January 23, 2007. The reference books, worth more than US $1million, will be distributed to the 22 Teacher Education Institutions throughout the country.
“The American people, through USAID, have helped support the education system in Ethiopia since 1995. The thousands of books we are donating today will help enhance the quality of basic education by improving the classrooms of future teachers,” USAID/Ethiopia Mission Director Glenn Anders said. During the ceremony, Mr. Anders handed over a sample book to His Excellency Dr. Sintayehu Woldemichael, Minister of Education. The ceremony took place at the Ministry of Education office in Addis Ababa.
Through its Basic Education Program, USAID has helped strengthen the pre-service teacher training program in all Teacher Education Institutions. In the last five years alone, USAID technical and financial assistance provided to these institutions has exceeded US$2.3 million, or Birr 20 million.
USAID contributions to improve the quality and equity of Ethiopian primary schools also include expanding alternative basic primary education for out-of-school children and functional literacy education for adults in remote areas of the country. The program has helped develop and install computerized personnel and material management systems that are now being used in regional state education bureaus. Another accomplishment of the USAID Basic Education Program has been the strengthening of Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) and Kebele Education and Training Boards, making family and community members an integral part of basic education.
January 23, 2004
No. 04/07
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Ethiopia donated nearly 30,000 books to the Ministry of Education today as part of its Basic Education Program on Tuesday January 23, 2007. The reference books, worth more than US $1million, will be distributed to the 22 Teacher Education Institutions throughout the country.
“The American people, through USAID, have helped support the education system in Ethiopia since 1995. The thousands of books we are donating today will help enhance the quality of basic education by improving the classrooms of future teachers,” USAID/Ethiopia Mission Director Glenn Anders said. During the ceremony, Mr. Anders handed over a sample book to His Excellency Dr. Sintayehu Woldemichael, Minister of Education. The ceremony took place at the Ministry of Education office in Addis Ababa.
Through its Basic Education Program, USAID has helped strengthen the pre-service teacher training program in all Teacher Education Institutions. In the last five years alone, USAID technical and financial assistance provided to these institutions has exceeded US$2.3 million, or Birr 20 million.
USAID contributions to improve the quality and equity of Ethiopian primary schools also include expanding alternative basic primary education for out-of-school children and functional literacy education for adults in remote areas of the country. The program has helped develop and install computerized personnel and material management systems that are now being used in regional state education bureaus. Another accomplishment of the USAID Basic Education Program has been the strengthening of Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) and Kebele Education and Training Boards, making family and community members an integral part of basic education.
U.S. Citizens Killed in Kenya
New York Times
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan. 27
Two Americans, including an elderly woman, were shot to death on Saturday afternoon by carjackers in Nairobi, the capital, according to American and Kenyan officials.
The two victims, relatives of an American Embassy employee, were traveling in an embassy car with three other Americans when a truck cut them off, police officials said. Four men jumped out with Kalashnikov assault rifles and ordered the occupants out of their car.
“Apparently, the driver and an elderly woman sitting in front did not move fast enough,” a police spokesman said. “So the bandits shot them.”
Nairobi has been plagued by violent crime, and American officials said they did not believe the attack was related to terrorism.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan. 27
Two Americans, including an elderly woman, were shot to death on Saturday afternoon by carjackers in Nairobi, the capital, according to American and Kenyan officials.
The two victims, relatives of an American Embassy employee, were traveling in an embassy car with three other Americans when a truck cut them off, police officials said. Four men jumped out with Kalashnikov assault rifles and ordered the occupants out of their car.
“Apparently, the driver and an elderly woman sitting in front did not move fast enough,” a police spokesman said. “So the bandits shot them.”
Nairobi has been plagued by violent crime, and American officials said they did not believe the attack was related to terrorism.
No danger of Ethiopia-Eritrea war-Meles
28 Jan 2007 12:24:56 GMT
By Barry Moody
ADDIS ABABA, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Ethiopia and Eritrea are not close to war, despite a U.N. report saying tensions could erupt into a new conflict in the Horn of Africa, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said in a report last week that stalemate over a border dispute and recent worsening of the situation were a major threat that could trigger war.
Asked about the report in a Reuters interview late on Saturday, Meles said: "There is always the risk of war but I doubt we are on the brink of war."
He accused the Asmara government of spurning dialogue over the dispute but "military options are not attractive," so the stalemate was likely to continue.
"We have no intention of engaging the Eritreans in any military action. The Eritreans, I believe, (also) know better," he said.
Before the recent Somalia war in which Ethiopian military power helped the transitional government there to oust Islamists, many analysts had suggested Eritrea might exploit the conflict to try to make gains on the border, unleashing a regional conflict. Meles said: "Nothing happened along the border. Nothing new happened. The usual infiltrations here, skirmishes there."
But he repeated accusations Eritrea had moved troops into a border buffer zone before the Somalia war, saying there were "tens of thousands" of Eritrean troops there.
"There is no temporary security zone any more. It has been occupied by the Eritrean army," Meles said.
Eritrea has said it has moved people into the border area for agricultural work like harvesting but has given no numbers.
Ban issued his warning ahead of a Security Council vote at the end of January expected to cut the U.N. peacekeeping mission on the border from 2,300 troops to 1,700.
The U.N. troops were first sent to the area in 2000 to enforce a ceasefire ending a 1998-2000 border conflict that killed 70,000 people in trench warfare likened to the First World War. Ban also accused Eritrea of sending troops into the buffer zone.
By Barry Moody
ADDIS ABABA, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Ethiopia and Eritrea are not close to war, despite a U.N. report saying tensions could erupt into a new conflict in the Horn of Africa, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said in a report last week that stalemate over a border dispute and recent worsening of the situation were a major threat that could trigger war.
Asked about the report in a Reuters interview late on Saturday, Meles said: "There is always the risk of war but I doubt we are on the brink of war."
He accused the Asmara government of spurning dialogue over the dispute but "military options are not attractive," so the stalemate was likely to continue.
"We have no intention of engaging the Eritreans in any military action. The Eritreans, I believe, (also) know better," he said.
Before the recent Somalia war in which Ethiopian military power helped the transitional government there to oust Islamists, many analysts had suggested Eritrea might exploit the conflict to try to make gains on the border, unleashing a regional conflict. Meles said: "Nothing happened along the border. Nothing new happened. The usual infiltrations here, skirmishes there."
But he repeated accusations Eritrea had moved troops into a border buffer zone before the Somalia war, saying there were "tens of thousands" of Eritrean troops there.
"There is no temporary security zone any more. It has been occupied by the Eritrean army," Meles said.
Eritrea has said it has moved people into the border area for agricultural work like harvesting but has given no numbers.
Ban issued his warning ahead of a Security Council vote at the end of January expected to cut the U.N. peacekeeping mission on the border from 2,300 troops to 1,700.
The U.N. troops were first sent to the area in 2000 to enforce a ceasefire ending a 1998-2000 border conflict that killed 70,000 people in trench warfare likened to the First World War. Ban also accused Eritrea of sending troops into the buffer zone.
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