NEWS

The National Congress is the highest constitutional body of the OLF charged with meeting all outstanding organizational challenges and decisions.

Former high-ranking members of the Executive Council that were alienated from leadership ranks of the OLF, are also attending the OLF extra-ordinary National Congress, among them: Ato Lencho Letta – former Vice-Chairman and founding member of the OLF, Ato Dima Negewo – former Minister of Information in the EPRDF transitional government, and Ato Taddesse Ebba – former member of the OLF Executive Council. Other prominent leaders of the Oromo civic and professional Associations, Regional representatives and functionaries are also participating in the deliberations of the National Congress.

Other reports indicate that the Eritrean regime has no problem to accept PM Meles Zenawi’s five-point peace proposal (5ppp) of November 2004. The Eritrean President’s undeclared precondition to accept the 5ppp is said to be for PM Zenawi to accept a peace dialogue with the OLF in the presence of a third party, preferably the governments of the United States and Norway.

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sponsored a highly charged “conference on Conflict Resolution in the Horn of Africa, a consultation among Oromo elders, civic associations, professionals, leaders and international scholars organized by the Chr. Michelsen Institute in Bergen, Norway from September 27, 2004 to October 1, 2004”, according to a public statement issued on October 7, 2004 by the participants of the Conference.

The current OLF Chairman, Ato Daoud Ibsa, in his recent interview with the Amharic service of the VOA, disclosed that “the Ethiopian government was approached by concerned parties for a dialogue and they (the Ethiopian government) refused the idea of any dialogue that includes the presence of a third party.”

This unique OLF National Congress is taking place at a very sensitive time when the Eritrean regime and its army are on alert to wage another war against Ethiopia.