ETHIOPIA: PRIME MINISTER OUTLINES SOMALIA

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 ADDIS ABABA 002049

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR AF AND AF/E
LONDON, PARIS, ROME FOR AFRICA WATCHER
CJTF-HOA AND USCENTCOM FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/28/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM KJUS ET SO ER
SUBJECT: ETHIOPIA: PRIME MINISTER OUTLINES SOMALIA
STRATEGY, OPPOSITION HIGHLIGHTS DOMESTIC PROBLEMS

Classified By: AMBASSADOR DONALD YAMAMOTO. REASON: 1.4 (B) AND (D).


1. (S/NF) SUMMARY. In a June 28 address to Parliament,
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles highlighted successes in
Somalia, stressing that the upcoming National Reconciliation
Congress (NRC),anticipated African Union Mission in Somalia
(AMISOM) expansion, and enhanced security for Somalia's
Transitional Federal Government (TFG) would soon allow
Ethiopia to finalize its troop withdrawal from Somalia.
British Ambassador told us that Prime Minister Meles said
privately that Ethiopian troop withdrawal could occur by the
end of the summer. Meles reaffirmed Ethiopia's commitment to
the Ethiopia-Eritrea Boundary Commission (EEBC) decision but
warned Eritrea that while Ethiopia wants a peaceful and
sustainable demarcation of the border (which includes a
dialogue on the fundamental differences which divide the two
countries),Ethiopia is prepared to repulse Eritrean military
attacks. On domestic politics, Meles praised the National
Electoral Board (NEB) process, judicial reform, civil service
reform, and good governance efforts.


2. (SBU) During the questioning period, opposition MPs
focused on domestic problems, noting high inflation and low
salaries. The opposition parties criticized the procedures
for selection of new NEB commissioners as arbitrary. They
termed the ruling party's passage of bills as "dictatorial"
and bemoaned the EPRDF's failure to secure consensus on
issues. They criticized the Prime Minister for not having an
exit strategy for Somalia, and questioned why Ethiopia had to
pay a heavy price in Somalia when addressing domestic
problems were so critical. Meles, own party criticized him
about rumors of a possible release of the opposition CUD
detainees, saying it undercut due process when the courts
found the detainees guilty of breaking the law.


3. (C) Unlike his previous appearance before the Parliament
in March 2007 to discuss the budget (when he criticized the
opposition and provided brief answers),the Prime Minister
went into detail on domestic challenges and spent a great
deal of time explaining the detainee issue. He said the
judicial process had to take its course through the
deliberation and sentencing of the detainees, and that
release of the detainees should only be addressed after the
courts had completed its procedures. The Prime Minister also
criticized the Ambassadors who gave the detainees false hope
that they could circumvent the constitution and secure the
release of the detainees. Foreign embassies could express
their views, but could not change judicial procedures.
Finally, the Prime Minister stressed his commitment to help
lower inflation and support government employees facing
financial hardship. END SUMMARY.

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PRIME MINISTER FOCUSES ON SOMALIA, COMMENTS ON ERITREA
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4. (SBU) The Prime Minister delivered a forty-minute speech
on June 28 on the government's progress in Somalia and on
some domestic issues, specifically political reform and the
economy. He provided a hopeful picture of Ethiopian troops
leaving Somalia in the near future. The Prime Minister noted
that extremists' activities and Ethiopia's "errors" in
"trusting" some Somali clan elders too much or not working
closely enough with them, had forced a delay in executing the
third and final phase of withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from
Somalia. The Prime Minister said this had been corrected,
through the military operations in Mogadishu and closer
coordination with the clan elders. He expressed hope that
the NRC would will take place, help resolve clan problems,
and bring Somalia together. AMISOM needed to be expanded,
and the Prime Minister called on donor countries to fulfill
their pledges. He was hopeful that more AMISOM troops would
arrive, enhancing the security of the TFG.

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ETHIOPIA EXPECTS EXPEDITIOUS COMPLETION OF TROOP WITHDRAWAL
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5. (SBU) The Prime Minister reaffirmed the GOE,s commitment

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to the EEBC decision and to a peaceful and sustainable
demarcation of the border with Eritrea. He stressed that
dialogue to resolve the fundamental differences that divide
the two countries was essential to ensure that demarcation
would succeed. Meles criticized Eritrea for sponsoring
instability in the region directed towards Ethiopia.
Ethiopia was committed to peace but was also prepared to
repel any armed attack from Eritrea.


6. (SBU) Meles commented on the progress of political reform,
calling processes to reform the National Electoral Board and
press laws as moving the country in the right democratic
direction. He called for capacity building, better
recruitment and training procedures, and improving the skills
and knowledge of the civil service. This would help enhance
operational effectiveness of the government.

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OPPOSITION FOCUSES ON DOMESTIC ISSUES
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7. (SBU) Chairman of the opposition United Ethiopian
Democratic Front (UEDF),Dr. Beyene Petros, focused on
inflation and the need to raise salaries of civil servants.
On Somalia, he and other opposition leaders, like the
Coalition for Unity and Democracy's (CUD) Temesken Zewdie and
Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM) leader Bulcha
Demeksa, questioned why Ethiopia had to pay such a heavy
price for peace in Somalia when challenges at home were so
pressing. Bulcha added his personal criticism, questioning
why Ethiopia was working with the U.S. on actions in Somalia,
and asking what the U.S. had provided Ethiopia (in return),
if anything. Beyene noted that political reform and good
governance had to be addressed. He said the opposition was
ready to participate in the NEB discussions but opposed the
procedures used to appoint new board members. The opposition
questioned the press law and broadcast law as legislation in
need of serious review. Temesken and one of his colleagues
called Meles and the ruling EPRDF "dictatorial" in their
actions: failing to gain consensus on issues and instead
taking unilateral decisions.


8. (SBU) A ruling EPRDF parliamentarian questioned the Prime
Minister on rumors that the detained opposition party leaders
(convicted on June 11 of subversion) would soon be released.
He questioned why the Prime Minister would circumvent the
judicial process when the courts had found the detainees
guilty. He called on the Prime Minister to respect due
process and the laws of Ethiopia.

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MELES OUTLINES THE CHALLENGES
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9. (SBU) Meles provided a detailed response to opposition
questions, without the dismissive criticism he showed during
his last appearance in the Parliament on the budget (March
29). Meles explained that inflation in the capital had
fallen slightly, but that controlling inflation remained a
top priority for the government. Acknowledging that salaries
had not kept pace, he said there was an urgent need to
address the salary disparity of civil servants. He noted
that the government was not firing civil servants through its
reductions in force; his goal was to improve efficiency,
raise quality, and lower government cost. The Prime Minister
also said unemployment would be addressed through economic
reform and boosting economic growth.


10. (SBU) Meles stressed that his government was committed to
good governance. He said his government had fostered
consensus, listening to the opposition and taking their views
into consideration. He criticized opposition MPs for not
using the "opposition day" and "questioning of the Prime
Minister," as they had the right to do. He also criticized
the opposition for walking out of NEB deliberations. They
were welcome to return to discussions but had to commit to
debate the issues and not walk out again. The Prime Minister
concluded that when a vote was necessary, the majority vote
must prevail; and this must be respected. He questioned

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which country allowed its parliament not to respect or
observe a majority vote on issues. Agreeing on issues only
through consensus would lead to delay and lack of results.
There comes a time, the Prime Minister noted, when majority
vote will move an issue forward.


11. (SBU) The Prime Minister went into detail on the troubles
in the Ogaden (in Ethiopia's Somali Region). While he blamed
Eritrea for fostering extremist activities, Meles focused on
his efforts to reach out to the Ogaden National Liberation
Front (ONLF) as well as to the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF)
in the Oromo area. The GOE would negotiate with rebel
groups, ignore past problems, and even absolve criminal acts
of violence, if such groups committed to observe the
constitution and renounce violence. Thus far, these rebel
groups had not committed to these conditions and had elected
violence, he said.


12. (SBU) On detained opposition leaders, Meles made it
clear that the judicial process would be respected and that
no outside influence would sway the work of the courts. He
criticized foreign Ambassadors and missions for conveying
false hope to the detainees that they would be released. The
actions of the foreign ambassadors had been unhelpful, wrong
and "shameful". Any discussion of clemency or pardon could
not occur until after the court had finished its procedures.


13. (SBU) Finally, Meles said the U.S. did not provide
assistance for activities in Somalia, but did provide other
assistance which was appreciated and noted, such as food aid
and other assistance. He reaffirmed that Ethiopian troops
would depart Somalia and that the government was focused on
resolving domestic challenges.


14. (S/NF) COMMENT. British Ambassador Bob Dewar told the
Ambassador that during a private meeting, Prime Minister
Meles said that Ethiopian troops would withdraw from Somalia
by the end of the summer. The cost of operations was far too
high to maintain troops there for long. Ethiopia received no
financial support, and it had other obligations as well, such
as training TFG troops and civil servants, thus far at
Ethiopia's expense.


15. (C) The clear message on the detainees was for the
foreign embassies to refrain from making any comments or to
involve itself in Ethiopia's judicial process. While
decision on release has been made, the emphasis is that this
is an Ethiopian process and that foreign Embassies should
remain respectful of the process. END COMMENT.
YAMAMOTO