Please carefully read these words of "His Excellency" Isayas Afeworki, the President of Eritrea in response to an interview to the VOA as compiled by Scott Stearns and disseminated in the NET by REUTERS on 19 April.

"Eritrea's president says his war with neighboring Ethiopia is not about rival border claims, it is about culture ... President Isayas describes the Prime Minister [Meles] as "timid," a man who, he says, spends too much time in meetings. President Isayas says the war is a result of the inferiority that Prime Minister Meles and other ethnic Tigrayans feel toward people who might challenge their leadership..."

Look how the good for nothing, self-conflicting, and confused Isayas is arguing. When he started the aggression by invading Badme, he equated himself with God by swearing by the unrising Sun if he leaves Badme. In fact, just after the invasion, he and his rubbish media were telling their poor people and the world that Ethiopia never administered Badme and it absolutely belonged to Eritrea. The swearing by the Sun coupled with the conclusive claim of Badme lead some poor Eritreans to really believe the words of this cheating leader that Badme really was administered by Eritrea even before the conflict and thus actually belonged to Eritrea. This can be proved from EPLF's press releases of those days and some POWs now in Ethiopian hands.

Now, after facing the decisive blow that resulted in the shameful defeat and after leaving Badme for "strategic reasons," Isayas contradicts himself creating and telling a new tale that the conflict arose not because of Badme or any other land claim but because of the defective culture of the Tigrayans. According to this unparalleled politician and leader of the century, EPLF occupied Badme because Tigrayans mainly Meles are "TIMID," EPLF occupied Badme because Tigrayans and Meles waste their time in meetings. EPLF occupied Badme because Tigrayans feel inferior, EPLF occupied Badme because Tigrayans feel challenged and so on; otherwise EPLF is not interested in Badme and the war "IS NOT ABOUT RIVAL BORDER CLAIMS."

So, the implied conclusion is that EPLF occupied Badme; refused to withdraw from Badme by swearing by the Sun; wasted 10 months to study the OAU proposal; accepted the OAU proposal the just the day after the defeat at Badme; bla bla; EPLF did all this because it had to help the "TIMID" Meles, save time wasted by Tigrayans in meetings, overcome the inferiority complex of the Tigreans, avoid the Tigrayan's feeling of being challenged, and so on; otherwise EPLF is not interested in Badme and the war "IS NOT ABOUT RIVAL BORDER CLAIMS."

What a terrific tale leader does Eritrea have? The Ministry of Kindergartens (not of Education), if any, in Eritrea, should on a freelance basis, recruit this good tale teller and tale analyser to write and read tales for children in kindergartens or preparatories; no need for such tales in elementary schools.

Solomon Anteneh
Germany