H.E.
Mr. Kofi Annan
Secretary-General
of the United Nations
1
United Nations Plaza
Room
S/3800
New
York, N.Y. 10017
Your
Excellency:
First
of all, Excellency, please, allow us to congratulate you on your well-deserved
winning of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2001.
Several
hundred Ethiopians from all walks of life, political affiliations, and
religious background held an open public forum discussion on 12 January
2002, at Best Western Capital, Skyline Hotel in Washington DC, from 1:00-8:00
pm, on issues surrounding the implication, appropriateness, legality of
the Algiers Agreement, the Ethiopia/Eritrea Boundary Commission, and the
role of the United Nations. The open forum was organized by Tigrean International
Solidarity for Justice and Democracy, a civic non-profit organization dedicated
to peaceful resolutions of conflicts and the safeguarding of individual
human rights.
At
the end of the lengthy discussion the full house unanimously resolved that
a letter be delivered to the United Nations, the Ethiopia/Eritrea Boundary
Commission, and all governmental and nongovernmental organizations involved
in the drive for a peaceful solution between Ethiopia and Eritrea including
the settlement of boundaries.
We
will not dwell on the details of the facts underlying the issues we are
bringing to your attention since they have been addressed by other Ethiopians
and groups in letters to your Excellency’s attention. We intend this letter
to serve as fair notice to the Members of the United Nations and the Peoples
of the World at large of the gravity of the problem and consequences of
a new precedent being set affecting the sovereignty of nations that is
now being imposed on us. Your Excellency had received several letters from
concerned Ethiopians individually and from groups through out the previous
year. We particularly want to recall to your memory the letter (20 December
2001) addressed to Your Excellency by five Opposition parties in Ethiopia.
The
political reality in Ethiopia is far from being democratic. Indeed, it
is a military dictatorship. The five Opposition parties mentioned herein
makeup an insignificant percentage of the Ethiopian “Parliament.” The leaders
of the Opposition parties are harassed daily, marginalized, and live under
a constant threat of personal violence. The “elected” Parliament is in
fact composed of almost totally by members of the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary
Democratic Party (EPRDF) organizations completely controlled by Meles Zenawi
and associates. Thus, the Ethiopian “Parliament” is essentially a “rubber-stamping”
body. It is not an institution made up of democratically elected representatives
that reflect the diverse views and interests of the Ethiopian society,
except the few courageous members of the five Opposition parties.
As
Your Excellency is well aware of, Ethiopia is the founding member of the
United Nations. Through out the life of this organization, Ethiopia had
exemplary record of service to the World community, including putting at
risk its military men in the service of the United Nations during the Korean,
Congo, and the recent Rwandan crises. Ethiopia, an ancient nation of freedom
and justice loving people was a lone beacon of hope of justice and freedom
for oppressed people around the world; and became an inspiration for fellow
Africans in gaining their freedom from European colonizers. Even the great
Mandela was given sanctuary and an “Ethiopian Passport” by Ethiopia to
help him fight against Apartheid early on in the struggle for freedom of
the South African people.
However,
at this point in our history the sovereignty and territorial integrity
of our beloved Ethiopia is being eroded by a hostile antidemocratic government
of Meles Zenawi who took over political power by force of arms in May of
1991. And we see the hands of our historic enemies working through the
international community of nations trying to destroy our country by dismemberment,
and by annexation of its historic territories, including its Afar coastal
territory which is Ethiopia’s only access to the Red Sea. Eritrea is a
former province that seceded under arguably open referendum where the then
Secretary-General Boutros-Ghali and the United Nations played a role. Thus,
not only tens of thousands of Ethiopians were presumed to have voted for
Eritrean independence in a questionable referendum but also territories
that were traditionally administered by Provincial governors of Tigrai
and Wollo were grasped by the Eritrean Government as if terra nullius.
Having
brought the above historic facts and points of controversy to Your Excellency’s
attention, We Ethiopians declare unequivocally the following:
I.
We fully support the expressed will of the people of Ethiopia as represented
by the five Opposition parties members in a letter dated 20 December 2001
addressed to your Excellency.
II.
A) We declare the Algiers Agreement of 12 December 2000 to be null and
void as far as we Ethiopians are concerned. The Algiers Agreement was signed
by a “government” that is blatantly pro-Eritrea and has constantly worked
against the interest of Ethiopia.The
boundary decision of the Algiers Agreement does not safeguard the paramount
interest of Ethiopians. Therefore, the Agreement has no binding effect
on Us Ethiopians or our posterity.