ETHIOPIA: PM'S SPECIAL ADVISOR LASHES OUT AT VOA,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ADDIS ABABA 003154 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF/E; AF/RSA: KMOODY; H: JHAGAN; DRL: SJOSEPH; AND R: MJACOBS LONDON, PARIS, ROME FOR AFRICA WATCHER CJTF-HOA AND USCENTCOM FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/24/2017 TAGS: KPAO PHUM KDEM PGOV ET SUBJECT: ETHIOPIA: PM'S SPECIAL ADVISOR LASHES OUT AT VOA, HIGHLIGHTS IMPACTS OF H.R. 2003 REF: A. ADDIS ABABA 3087 ¶B. 2005 ADDIS ABABA 2331 ADDIS ABAB 00003154 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: DCM DEBORAH MALAC FOR REASON 1.4(D). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: In a meeting with Voice of America's Horn of Africa Service Chief Fred Cooper, former Information Minister and current Special Advisor to the Prime Minister Bereket Simon implied that local accreditation of VOA stringers may be another casualty (see ref A) among U.S. interests resulting from the House of Representatives' passage of H.R. 2003, The Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act. Cooper challenged the GoE for refusing to reach out to the VOA to discuss disagreements over VOA's reporting and to convey the GoE's position. Bereket responded coolly, saying that the GoE had "lost hope" in VOA as a credible news source, arguing that it is a tool of the Ethiopian opposition, both domestically and in the U.S., and that it is controlled by Ethiopia's critics in the U.S. Congress. Any progress that Mr. Cooper had hoped to achieve with the Ethiopian Government (GoE) was seemingly futile, as Bereket and the GoE remain enraged with the recent passage of H.R. 2003. Beyond an expression of frustration over H.R. 2003, Bereket's reluctance to work with the VOA or consider accreditation for additional local VOA reporters provides an insight into the receptivity of a senior Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation Front (TPLF) Central Committee member and influential advisor to the GoE on press freedom in Ethiopia. Bereket made it clear that the wide-ranging negative impacts from passage of H.R. 2003 will include VOA's ability to operate in Ethiopia. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) On October 21, 2007, PAO and PolOff accompanied Fred Cooper in a meeting with Bereket Simon, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister with the rank of Minister. Mr. Cooper came to Ethiopia specifically to meet Bereket to discuss problems that VOA stringers are experiencing in receiving press accreditation. Several new stringers, including one that would contribute to the Somali language program, have asked for accreditation by the GoE, but have not received any formal response for several months. -------------- VOA A POLITICAL TOOL AGAINST ETHIOPIA -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Mr. Cooper opened the meeting by querying Bereket on how the long-standing "adversarial relationship" between the GoE and VOA (ref B) could be overcome and questioning Bereket as to why he had not contacted him since their last meeting a year prior to discuss the GoE's view on VOA programming. Bereket pulled no punches in his response, saying that VOA is a "structurally flawed" news service and is "controlled by people who have an ax to grind with Ethiopia." Bereket went on to say that the proof of this is in the programming that VOA airs on its Amharic and English language programming, which he said is a voice of the opposition and that the Service employs "scare tactics" in its campaign against the GoE. Mr. Cooper countered that the VOA services are criticized all over the world by governments and that their news service has no political angle. He further pointed out that there are many good news stories in Ethiopia in the areas of the economy, health improvements, and development successes ) the problem is that there is no one to tell them. He questioned Bereket on how the good news stories could reach the public if only the opposition agreed to speak with the VOA. Mr. Cooper said that VOA stringers have reached out to GoE officials on numerous occasions, only to have their requests ignored. Bereket again responded by saying that the GoE "knows that the VOA is a political institution controlled by elements of the USG," and furthermore that "the VOA is controlled by former elements of the Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Party (EPRP)" ) further proof of its bias. ¶4. (SBU) Bereket said that, despite the GoE's view of the VOA, he does not have any problems with the Amharic language stringers that are currently working in Ethiopia, and that generally they did a good job. Rather, his complaint was with the editing staff and the reporters in the U.S. ADDIS ABAB 00003154 002.2 OF 002 Capitalizing on this, PAO was able to convince Bereket to reconsider granting credentials to the new stringers. Bereket said he would discuss it with the relevant officials and contact VOA and Post with an answer. -------------- -------------- STRONG MESSAGE ON BILL'S EFFECT ON BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) While the purpose of the meeting was to discuss VOA reporters, Bereket used the opportunity to deliver a strong message regarding the GoE's position on the October 2 passage of H.R. 2003 in the U.S. House of Representatives. Bereket drew a parallel by suggesting that certain Representatives utilize the VOA to promote a negative campaign against Ethiopia. He noted that the GoE has never publicly criticized a USG institution and that with the passage of H.R. 2003, "the damage has been done," saying that it is irrelevant whether it passes the Senate or gains the President's approval. "We have to protect our interests," Bereket continued, "and if we are provoked into an open fight, we will defend our interests." While noting that the GoE,s relationship with the current administration, and particularly the Ambassador and others at Post, has been good, the actions of Congress are compromising future cooperation. "We are doing a job for you ) going into Somalia is in your national interest," he said. Returning to his perceived connection of this issue of the VOA, he complained that the problem goes beyond simply issues with VOA programming, but that "it is the policy of the U.S. to treat us in this way and mending fences with the VOA will not solve the problem." -------------- -------------- COMMENT: SAME OLD STANCE TOWARD VOA, NEW ANGER TOWARD USG -------------- -------------- ¶6. (C) There were no surprises in Bereket's reaction to the VOA and the challenges from Mr. Cooper that the GoE should be more proactive in using this medium. The VOA is generally viewed as a sounding board for the opposition, particularly the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD),and that perception was solidified before and after the May 2005 parliamentary elections. While Bereket's accusations that the VOA is staffed by anti-GoE activists may or may not be true, the ruling Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) is not savvy in using international media to promote its agenda. As long as the VOA continues to actively source news from the opposition, especially the newly released CUD leadership, the antagonistic relationship will continue and VOA will face problems locally. As the key GoE opinion leader on major media issues, Bereket's professed agreement to raise the accreditation issue with "relevant officials" is disingenuous and more aimed to pressure VOA, and potentially use H.R. 2003 as an excuse to delay or forego accreditation of a locally-respected, but critical, news agency. ¶7. (C) Bereket seemed much more interested in sending a pointed message to Emboffs regarding the GoE's response to passage of H.R. 2003. His fiery rhetoric was the latest in a recent string of angry messages toward the U.S. Congress. The difference in Bereket's message at this time was his blurred distinction between the executive and legislative branches. He made it clear that the bilateral relationship suffered a major blow following passage of the bill and that the administration must work to mend the divide. It was unclear, however, what event would trigger the GoE to "defend their national interest," as he made it clear that any possible further progress on the bill in the Senate was irrelevant (since "the damage had been done") and that the bill would "never affect the way we govern our country." YAMAMOTO