Meles in Brussles faces Ethiopian outrage

February 4, 2006

Ethiopian Protest in Washington DC (Feb 1, 2006)

BRUSSELS (EMF) – Meles Zenawi is expected on Saturday to meet European Commissioner for Development Louis Michel on topics related to recent European Union’s (EU)punitive measures against his regime and how they could be reversed, Brussels sources said on Friday.

Hit by a nationwide opposition to his disastrous rule of 15 years, Zenawi’s surprise visit to the seat of the European Commission is aimed at re-claiming EU’s support to the financial crisis gripping his regime.

Ethiopians in Europe have been lobbying the European Parliament and the European Commission to pressure one of Africa’s ruthless tyrants to stop the state-sponsored crimes and release all political prisoners.

The EU has upheld its decision of withholding $375 million that could have gone directly into the coffer of the government. EU has demanded the regime to meet eight preconditions set earlier if the decision was to be reversed. Meanwhile, Ethiopians are flooding emails to Mr. Louis Michel at [email protected] reminding him to reject any proposal from the tyrant who has held the nation of 77 million people hostage.