PM Meles Zenawi Interviewed by BBC

Monday, June 8, 1998 Published at 14:54 GMT 15:54 UK
Meles Zenawi: believes in meeting force with force
By the BBC correspondent Jane Standley

The Ethiopian leader Meles Zenawi has rejected Libya's claim that it has brokered a peace agreement with Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Prime Minister Meles said in an interview in the capital Addis Ababa that he still believes there is no cause for war with his former close friends in Eritrea, but he would be failing as Ethiopia's leader if he did not meet force with force.

"Otherwise I will be failing utterly in my responsibility and I have no intention of failing," he said.

Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, may be speaking softly but he is also making it clear to the Eritreans that he carries a big stick.

Mr Meles said Ethiopia remains committed to the peace plan offered by the United States and Rwanda and that pressure should be applied internationally on the Eritreans to also accept a cease-fire and troop withdrawal from the disputed border territory.

Pursuing fresh initiatives such as that the Libyans say they have offered is not helpful at the moment, he insisted.

There is a clear feeling of hurt and betrayal among many ordinary Ethiopians. They stand on the brink of a war they can ill afford with their former comrades-in-arms and compatriots in Eritrea.

But there is no doubt that in Addis Ababa Eritrea is regarded as the sole aggressor because it fired the first shot. Prime Minister Meles is keen to publicly declare the same emotions.

"I never thought the Eritreans would stab us in the back, that they would send their tanks into our territory and bomb our schools," he said.

While the Ethiopians insist that a peaceful resolution is still their aim, it may be difficult to overcome such strongly-held emotions.