NEWS

WASHINGTON DC (Ethiomedia) – Two Ethiopians told the Voice of America (VOA) Tigrinya Program on Friday that the cause of Eritrea’s conflict with Ethiopia had never been a border issue but an economic crisis that has hit Asmara hard.

In an interview with the VOA Tigrinya Program’s Betre Siltan, who asked them how they evaluated Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s five-point peace plan, Gorfu G. Eyesus said the goverment was dancing to the tune of two songs to soften stiff public opposition on the one hand and to please foreign powers on the other.

Gorfu said the “peace plan” was designed to satisfy the interests of two opposing camps, and he saw no harm to Ethiopia if the plan was implemented.

Gorfu’s idea, however, did not go well with Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia, who told VOA the “Peace Plan” was Meles Zenawi’s long-standing conspiracy of serving the interests of Eritrea at the cost of Ethiopia. It is an offshoot of what Meles had secretly signed with Isaias in the past.

“I say this agreement should be thrown out because it is based on premises detrimental to Ethiopian interests. This was made clear when the Boundary Commission ruled that areas such as Tserona, Fort Carduna, Menekosoita, Gunagona, belonged to Ethiopia but the Meles Zenawi lawyers submitted a written request, urging the judges that such areas were undisputed Eritrean territories, and should be given to Eritrea. The same thing goes to the case of Bure (in Eastern Ethiopia). This was something that even shocked the judges.”

A bewildered Ghelawdewos remarked, “Are these Ethiopians? It is quite surprising. My stand is clear: Ethiopia doesn’t have a government of its own.”

Gorfu said he did not see any harm if the Boundary Commission ruling was implemented. He said “Eritrean invasion had killed our people, and occupied our territoreis for over two years. No one forced the Meles government to rush to Algiers and sign an agreement which is ‘final and binding’. It was an outcome of political innocence, political naivette. Therefore, if such agreement is final and binding, it means it is irreversible. they don’t have any other choice but to respect the ruling.”

Ghelawdewos came back and said the ruling was not a holy script etched into the stone. “It can be revoked, and it should be, because the commission was setup upon the goodwill of Meles and Isayas. Unless the anti-Ethiopia agreement is thrown out, the alternative is further destruction. In the interest of the people who deserve peace, the Algiers Agreement must be discarded altogether, leave alone to talk about a peace plan, which is nothing but an offshoot of a previous scheme.”

Betre asked the guests what they think is the solution to the impasse?

Ghelawdewos said the solution lies within the Ethiopian people. The people must decide on their own destiny. We are talking about Ethiopian territories. Ostracizing the Ethiopian people, as the government in Addis has been doing, would only worsen an already volatile situation.

However, both agreed the cause of the Eritrea-Ethiopia conflict was never a border issue but Eritrea’s morbid desire to come out of its economic crisis by plowing through Ethiopian resources.

On December 31st, it is to be recalled that over 100,000 Ethiopians in Addis called for the removal of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in a rally organized by the coalition of two mainstrean opposition parties.”