It has been more than three months since Eritrea, with utter disregard to international norms, has violated the territorial integrity of Ethiopia. So far the US-Rwanda peace proposal and later the OAU Ministerial Committee findings that calls for a peaceful settlement of the dispute did not mean anything to the Eritrean government.

This should remind us one lesson which history keeps teaching each and every generation that fails to heed to its teaching. Laws, norms, covenants and undertakings mean nothing in practice if not backed by a sincere will to keep them. The same holds true for any peace proposal and intiative. They remain mere words devoid of any real value unless those involved commits themselves to observe, honor and implement them.

We,humans, at times tend to forget the value of peace until such time we are forced to face the consequence of its absence. But,we must always remind ourselves that the task of preserving peace is gigantic. Peace always requires courage and constant vigilance. Courage to speak out and act even to the point of death, if need be. Constant vigilance with a zero tolerance even to the least of transgression and violation of international norms. This also means that aggression whatever its form and wherever it exists must not be tolerated but crushed.

Today, however, the entire world is watching,in a manner that appears to be helpless for a casual observer,when Eritrea is committing a grave political sin of comission and omission. Commission-when it invaded Ethiopia, which it shouldn't have done. Omission-when it should withdraw but didn't. Hitherto, the contribution of the moderate and soft objections of the international community has regrettably been very minimal to the keeping and restoring of peace. Eritrea continues in its defiance and Ethiopia continues with its appeal to the conscience of the international community. History has taught us a lesson that the uninvited and the dreadful nonetheless occurs more often than not because we all waited to act until too late. The international bodies and all peace loving nations must act now, while it is still day lest we run out of time and we all will be forced to face the ugly consequences of war. They should exert all legitimate pressures available to them to force Eritrea to change its behavior and adhere to accepted international norms.

When all the peace initiatives fail to guarantee its territorial integrity, Ethiopia, as any other self-respecting nation would do, will have no option except to turn to itself and its God to evict the aggressor. Make no mistake about it that Ethiopia will win as we are confident in the victory of good over evil.

It is mind boggling to anyone to probe the question what in heaven's name does Eritrea has to benefit by being so defiant and uncompromising? No one, I suppose, knows the answer except the Eritrean leaders. Be that as it may, however, if the Eritrean leaders are under the impression that the reaction of the international community to their action is positive, then I think it is time-in fact past time-to check the water supply in Asmara palace. They ought to wake up early before it is too late. Otherwise, they would go in the annals of history as leaders who have made their country the first in the face of the earth to have committed suicide in defiance of honorable and reasonable alternatives. I hope the Eritrean people would not choose this and so do, I pray, their leaders.