Ethiopian Government Builds Case Against VOA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADDIS ABABA 001060

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR AF/SPG AND AF/RSA
LONDON, PARIS, ROME FOR AFRICA WATCHER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KPAO PHUM ET
SUBJECT: Ethiopian Government Builds Case Against VOA

Summary:
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1. (SBU) Ethiopian State Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr. Tekeda Alemu
asked the Ambassador May 4 if the United States has now taken an
anti-Ethiopia position and Ethiopia is no longer considered an ally of
the United States in the region or in counterterrorism programs.
Tekeda based his question on Voice of America (VOA) reporting, which he
said reflects the views of the U.S. Government and, Tekeda claimed,
has "given a platform to unsubstantiated and outrageous anti-Ethiopian
views." Tekeda specifically referred to a recent VOA report that
originated in Washington and featured former State Department official
Greg Stanton, now of Genocide Watch, who charged that Prime Minister
Meles and the Ethiopian government should be investigated for possible
acts of genocide by the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) in
Somalia and in the Ogaden area of Ethiopia's Somalia region.


2. (SBU) Tekeda said the Ethiopian Government also found highly
offensive a series of VOA interviews, aired over the past few days, of
major opposition leader Berhanu Nega, now an associate professor at
Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, who denounced the recent arrest in
Addis Ababa of 35 current and former military officers and others for
allegedly plotting to assassinate Ethiopian leaders and to encourage
public violence against the government (septel). Local press reported
that the 35 belong to BerhanuQs Ginbot 7 organization. Tekeda said the
VOA has given Berhanu, whom he labeled "a criminal who could be a
terrorist," a platform to air his views to promote violence, and Tekeda
underscored that the evidence against Berhanu that will be produced
during the upcoming trial of the 35 suspects. Tekeda said no
Ethiopian government official was interviewed prior to or in
conjunction with the interviews with Berhanu. Tekeda also raised the
issue of possible extradition talks with the United States, though he
added that the Ethiopian Diaspora in the United States would put up
such a vocal opposition as to pressure the U.S. Congress to oppose any
formal extradition agreement. Dr. Tekeda said the Ethiopian Government
was not taking any action against the VOA, but wanted the new Africa
team at the State Department to understand Ethiopia's depth of
frustration with VOA reporting. End Summary.

VOA Reflects a Changed U.S. Posture to Ethiopia
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3. (SBU) Tekeda called in the Ambassador on May 4 to protest officially
VOA reporting which the Ethiopian government (GoE) found highly
offensive and outrageous because of allegedly unsubstantiated
information being reported by VOA. Specifically, Tekeda said the GoE
objected to VOA's recent interview with Berhanu Nega, a leading
opposition figure in exile, who may "be deemed a terrorist" by the GoE
in the upcoming trial of 35 suspects arrested for plotting to
assassinate Ethiopian leaders and to spread violence. Tekeda said the
GoE was unhappy that VOA gave Berhanu "credibility" as well as a
platform to air his "anti-Ethiopian" views. Tekeda asked if the United
States had now changed its policy towards Ethiopia and no longer
considers Ethiopia an ally in the region, in counterterrorism programs
and peacekeeping operations, where Ethiopia contributes military forces
to operations throughout Africa.


4. (SBU) Tekeda reiterated that the 35 suspects are tied to BerhanuQs
Ginbot 7 opposition group. Tekeda noted that no Ethiopian official was
interviewed prior to or in conjunction with the interview with Berhanu
and that VOA gave only brief references to press statements by the
Ethiopian Government. Tekeda said upcoming trials for the 35 suspects
may reveal the connection between Berhanu and the 35 suspects and that
Berhanu could be involved in "possible terrorist activities." The
charges are so serious that Tekeda raised deep concerns that the VOA,
which Ethiopia considers to be an arm of the USG, is giving credibility
to a potential terrorist suspect.


5. (SBU) Tekeda also raised briefly the VOA report of charges by Greg
Stanton, a former State Department official and now head of Genocide
Watch. In a recent VOA broadcast that originated in Washington,
Stanton said that Prime Minister Meles could potentially be brought up
on charges of crimes against humanity or genocide stemming from ENDF
operations in Somalia and the Ogaden area of Ethiopias Somali region.
Tekeda called VOA decision to air such "unsubstantiated" reports
outrageous, and wondered aloud how the United States could encourage
such reporting from VOA. After the Stanton report initially appeared,
the GOE Office of Government Communications suspended the press
credentials of the two VOA Amharic service reporters resident in
Ethiopia. They reversed the decision several days later and returned

ADDIS ABAB 00001060 002 OF 002


the credentials.

Extradition
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6. (SBU) Tekeda raised the possibility of renewing talks over entering
a bilateral extradition treaty. He speculated that such talks would
probably go nowhere because the Ethiopian Diaspora in the United States
"is so vocal that the U.S. Congress would be compelled to oppose any
talks on extraditing suspected criminals."

Comment:
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7. (SBU) Tekeda concluded that the Ethiopian government was not taking
any action against the VOA at this time, but wanted the new Africa team
in Washington to understand the GoE's level of frustration and anger
with VOA reporting. More ominous is the continued drumbeat and
statements from all levels of the GoE, and particularly the ruling
partyQs powerful executive committee, that indicates a profound belief
among GoE leadership that the U.S. has changed its policy towards
Ethiopia, that the Ethiopian Government needs to brace itself for a
tougher U.S. posture towards Ethiopia, and that Ethiopia accordingly
needs to develop better relations with third countries to hedge against
a souring of U.S.-Ethiopia bilateral relations. We hope that senior
bilateral meetings, now being discussed in Washington, will help ease
anxieties in Addis and improve relations. Managing Ethiopia's apparent
paranoia will be difficult. At the heart of the paranoia is the
long-troubled relationship with VOA Amharic service, where the GoE
believes the employees have close ties to the opposition and are not
balanced in their reporting, and the GoE's own reluctance to embrace
genuine press freedom. End Comment.
YAMAMOTO