Addis Ababa, September 26, 2002 (WIC)- The popular Eritrean member of parliament (MP) and veteran politician until 1994, Hiruy Tedla Bairu said normalization between his country and Ethiopia was unlikely as along as the ruling Popular Front For Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) is in power in Eritrea.  In an exclusive interview with WIC yesterday Hiruy said the state-to-state relations between the two countries would improve only with the establishment of democracy in Eritrea.

He also said future relations with Ethiopia should be based on concrete and well defined national interests particularly on the part of Eritrea. 

Hiruy who is also the founder of the newly formed Eritrean Co-operative Party (ECP) said "normalization of relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia might even take longer but people to people diplomacy must start now and should have started yesterday" 

In this regard he underscored the role of Eritrean oppositions forces in laying fertile ground for the improvement of relations between the peoples of Eritrea and Ethiopia, as a people. 

Asked on the strength and unity of Eritrean opposition forces, Hiruy said had it not been for the weakness and lack of unity among the opposition forces, the incumbent regime in Asmara would not have been in power. 

"Isaias is there because the opposition is weak not because he is strong" he said, adding that it is high time for the opposition forces to be serious and meet the present challenge or else stop fouling the people. 

Hiruy said he maintains the view that it is in the best interest of the Eritrean people to organize the parliament of opposition forces with clear cut polices and strategies and represented at all levels for a leadership organ to evolve and serve as a necessary tool for the struggle for democracy in Eritrea. 

Hiruy ruled out the possibility of Eritrea turning into another Somalia by saying "given the inherent wisdom of the Eritrean people, the proper organizations of opposition forces and the support and sympathy of our immediate neighbours the Sudan and Ethiopia it is possible to check the Somalization of Eritrea, which is being advanced deliberately by the regime in Asmara." 

On the recent allegation by the Eritrean envoy to the U.N that the opposition was composed of Islamic terrorists, Hiruy said the regime in Asmara used the term because it believed is easily salable and to make profit and also to draw the attention of, particularly, the U.S government. Otherwise there is no single terrorist in Eritrea leave alone organized Islamic jihad movement, he declared. 

Hiruy who is the son of the first Head of State of Eritrea Ato Tedla Bairu during the federation, and was brought up and went to school for his secondary and tertiary education in Ethiopia, had also served as President of the Ethiopian Student Union in Europe in 1966. 

Hiruy is here in Addis on consultation mission on the role of opposition forces and about the current situation in Eritrea.