C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ADDIS ABABA 001188

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/27/2016
TAGS: ET PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: DAS YAMAMOTO MEETING WITH PM MELES: BORDER AND
BUILDING DEMOCRACY

REF: ADDIS 1160

Classified By: CHARGE JANET WILGUS FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).


1. (C) Summary. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi told DAS Don
Yamamoto on April 22 that Ethiopia will participate in the
next Ethiopia-Eritrean Border Commission (EEBC) meeting in
order to keep the lines of communication open. He reiterated
that Ethiopia accepts the EEBC decision without condition.
The PM said that the government would do what it could to
speed up the legal process for the detainees, although this
also depends on their actions in court. As for the hardline
opposition Ethiopian Diaspora, its aim is to remove the
ruling EPRDF party from power, he said, and it will not
tolerate those who engage in the political process. PM Meles
and his economic team will meet with bilateral Addis-based
donors on May 8. End summary.


2. (C) DAS Yamamoto accompanied by Charg Wilgus called on
Prime Minister Meles on April 22. The discussion focused on
the border and on the internal situation.

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Border - we will stay engaged
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3. (C) DAS Yamamoto expressed deep appreciation for
Ethiopian participation in the March EEBC meeting and
informed the PM that the EEBC has decided that in the
demarcation process "nothing will be decided until everything
is decided;" the survey can proceed but all problems will be
resolved after the completion of the survey. Demarcation
must lead to last peace, DAS Yamamoto emphasized, and not
plant the seeds of another war. The PM said that Ethiopia
has made a "strategic decision" to keep the lines of
communication open through the EEBC process, and will
therefore attend the next meeting in London when it is
rescheduled. PM said that he does not expect much progress at
this point as clearly stated that Ethiopia has accepted the
EEBC boundary decision without any conditions. (Note: In a
separate meeting, State Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr.
Tekeda Alemu said that Ethiopia Ambassador to Geneva, Fisseha
Yirma (former Director of Americas and Europe at the MFA; bio
forward to AF/E) would represent Ethiopia at the talks. Dr.
Tekeda stated that the November 2004 Five-Point Peace Plan is
"not a stumbling block" to achieving peace on the border.
There are "no insurmountable problems," he said; Isaias is
capable of a U-turn when he is ready. End note.)

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Progress on democracy
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5. (C) DAS Yamamoto pressed the PM for the resolution of
the continued detention of journalists, members of civil
society, and the opposition CUD leadership, which he
characterized as "a lightening rod" that detracts from the
ultimate goal of democratic progress. Meles said that while
the government would do what it could to speed up the legal
process, including finding judges that would be helpful, the
detainees themselves might seek to delay the trial. Citing
studies on parliamentary procedure, the National Electoral
Board, and the draft media law, the PM stated that the
government is building democratic institutions for the sake
of the country, to keep the political process underway.
Those who have rejected the process thus far can join in when
they are ready, he said.


6. (C) In discussing the role of the increasingly strident
hardline opposition Ethiopian Diaspora in the U.S., the PM
stated that it is working under the illusion that the EPRDF
will be removed from power relatively soon. They will not
tolerate those who are reengaging in the political process
and are trying to "maximize the damage" and cripple the EPRDF
by getting the World Bank to withhold financial support and
Congress to make resolutions, etc.


7. (C) PM Meles told DAS Yamamoto that he would be opening
a dialogue with the donor community in Addis in order to
explain the EPRDF views. Although EPRDF information is
widely available, he said, the donors tend to rely on third
party analysis from consultants. (Note: Bilateral donors
(but not multilateral, such as the World Bank) have been
invited to a meeting with the PM on May 8, which will include
his economic team: Newai Gebre-Ab, Economic Advisor to the
PM; Tefera Waluwa, Minister of Capacity Building; Sufian

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Ahmed, Minister of Finance; and Mekonnen Manyazewal, State
Minister of Finance for Development Planning. End note.)


8. (U) DAS Yamamoto cleared this cable.

WILGUS