Eritrea/Ethiopia: It’s my way or region will be on fire, Ethiopia
25 Dec 2004, EDNews – Yesterday, Ethiopia put the world
on notice that there won’t be regional peace and stability if it can’t have it its
way. Recognizing that its recent manipulations to destroy the Algiers peace
accord have failed to win the support of major powers, or any other power for
that mater, Ethiopia is now threatening to destabilize the whole East Africa
should its 5-point sham plan for peace with Eritrea fail. In a report posted at
the Ethiopian new agency ENA website, the statement of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of Ethiopia said: “refraining to accept the new peace proposal on the
part of the Eritrean government would lead the two countries to unwanted
situations which it said would also be a threat to the peace and stability of
east Africa”. And that is coming from a country that owes every aspect of its
existence as a nation to the massive patronage of the international community.
Following is the text of the report:
Addis Ababa, 24 Dec 2004: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
stressed the need that Eritreans in and out of the country should make pressure
on their government to accept Ethiopia's five-point new peace initiative
proposed by the Ethiopian government to resolve the Ethiopian-Eritrean border
dispute.
In its newsletter issued in December 2004, the ministry
said the Eritrean government should understand that the border dispute between
the two countries would only be solved through peaceful means. It said the new
peace proposal invites the Eritrean government to enter into negotiation to
resolve the dispute peacefully.
The ministry said refraining to accept the new peace
proposal on the part of the Eritrean government would lead the two countries to
unwanted situations, which it said would also be a threat to the peace and
stability of east Africa. It said Ethiopia has repeatedly confirmed that it
would not go to war unless obliged to do so, as democracy and development are
the two top most agendas for Ethiopia now. It said Ethiopia believes that the
dispute could be resolved through peaceful means and the principle of
give-and-take.
Source: ENA web
site, Addis Ababa, in English 24 Dec 04