Demand for Meles Zenawi to resign immediately 

By Zenebe G.M. Tamirat

Both enemies of Ethiopia (Ethiopia's enemy # 1, Meles Zenawi and #2, Issaias Afeworki expressed their satisfaction over the decision of the Haigue Ethio-Eritreea Border Commission of the 13th April 2002. 

Both claimed victory over each other. It just looks like that they are staging a well-directed drama. Yes, they are playing a well-done drama because they are not affected by this pessimistic decision, which is in fact a time bomb grounded to blast when the time comes. 
But, for a while, when does this time come? and 
when do these two anti-Ethiopia elements of negative vibrations get off our shoulders? 
are questions that remain unanswered. 

In fact they remain homework to concerned Ethiopians. Some people say that it is too early to tell about the fairness of the Haigue's decision. But for most Ethiopians, it is not. This decision has explicitly ousted the question of Ethiopia's access to the sea in spite of the perseverance of the people of Ethiopia through their parties, Ethiopian Celebrities and Scholars as well. These bodies demonstrated their concern, raised their voices and demanded justice because: 

1) They were affected by the war that went on in 1998 claiming the lives of 80,000 compatriots and displaced tens of thousands innocent civilians. Thousands of our children have sacrificed their lives in a bloody war to defend the land that both enemy number one and two are claiming to have attained victory one over the other. 
It is our children who died and it is them (Melese & Issaias) who boast; that is where the great drama rests. If both boast that that they are victors one over the other then what is the meaning of sacrificing the lives lost at the bloody war of the 1998? 

The answer is plain and simple. If both claim that they got what they deserved out of the Haigue's decision then as the BBC reporter commented (Posted on the web on 15th April 2001), the war that claimed the lives of "80,000" lives was in vain. Not to mention, that surely, the perpetrators of this crime shall pay the price sooner or later.

(2) The Ethiopian scholars, celebrities and opposition parties, in fact the whole people of Ethiopia with the exception of Meles Zenawi and his hand picked gangs are also affected because the decision did not consider the economic menace that is befalling Ethiopia as a " land locked" country. 

The argument is that: 
1. The EPRDF had no mandate to decide on the secession of Eritrea by the time it was merely a transitional government and not even recognized as "Government of Ethiopia" by most of the people of Ethiopia and the political parties there in (including AAPO that represents the 2nd largest ethnic group) and by most nations of the world.

2. Even after the illegal secession of Eritrea the EPRDF did not negotiate the boarder issue. It simply left the boarder open to Eritrea who used it for its economic exploitation. 

The EPRDF recognized Eritrea as an "Independent State" from the "Colonization of Ethiopia" and not as a Province of Ethiopia allowed to secede by the will of Meles Zenawi and the demand of his Eritrean Partners. Mind you, there is a big difference between secession and decolonization. The parties left the issue of boarder demarcation to be dealt with later on. The most important issue to the EPRDF was then to recognize Eritrea as an "Independent State" before any nation precedes it. How ever under a standard procedure the acceptance of this "secession" as "Independence" does not mean that "EPRDF" accepted Eritrea " as is" and "on is" basis. 

The EPRDF recognized the "State of Eritrea" including the Port of 'Assab' which had fallen in the hands of Eritrea Gorilla Fighters by that time on the condition that the question of boarder demarcation shall be made on some other time to come. EPRDF & ETPLF agreed that Ethiopia could use the port with some service charges. With this in mind the TPLF and EPRDF went on enjoying their honeymoon until the ended in a bloody war in 1998.

 3. Eritrea as a new nation declared its "secession" from Ethiopia as de-colonization. So did consider the United Nations and almost all nations of the world Eritrea's secession as "de-colonization" of Eritrea from "Colonizer" Ethiopia. 

4. According to the Cairo Agreement Countries of African Nations should retain the borders that they maintained when they were under colony. 

5. Assab was a self-administered province of Ethiopia when Eritrea gained its "independence" from Ethiopia. 

6. Since EPRDF did not recognize the "Independence of " Eritrea on"as is" and "on is" basis in 1993 and has adjourned the question of boarder demarcation for some time later, then EPRDF could claim 'Assab' as part of Ethiopia. It could also raise the question of "Ethiopia's Access to the Sea" before the Arbitration Forum demanding Eritrea to maintain its borders when it was the "colony" of Ethiopia (as they refer it to be. Meles Zenawi in his stand on Eritrean Struggle for independence argues that the Eritrean Question was a colonial question). It did not. It did not raise this question because naturally, the EPRDF leadership is ANTI ETHIOPIA! period. What is then the bottom line? 

7. For the third time in history the world is turning deaf ear to the appeal of Ethiopia. Time and history again shall judge their silence. Until recenlty, Ethiopia had never lost what it deserved. Through the struggle and the just sacrifice of its gallant children what Ethiopia lost now shall be regained and its unity and territorial integrity shall be defended. The Eritreans to come on the later days shall test once again the lethal arms of the gallant Ethiopian Children. The bottom line, therefore, is that the Ethio-Eritrea boarder around the costal zone of the Red Sea shall remain an area of conflict that may end up in bloody wars for generation to come. It will be as is now the war between the Palestinians and the Jews and/or the Indians and the Pakistanis as long as the question of Ethiopia's access to the sea is not settled. 

I therefore demand Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to resign immediately since he has failed to protect the interest of our country both in 1993 and in 2002. Should he ignore this demand which is not only mine but shared by millions of Ethiopians, I am optimistic that he will be pulled down by a bloody public upraisal as the leaders before him.

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