What seemed a legitimate discussion on security issues and legal claims such as Ethiopia's outlet to the outside world is seen quickly deteriorating into apolitical and irrational interpretation of political events in the country.

A case in point is Dagmawi's retreat to the values and believes of the defunct Derg's intransigent group, as he showed in his writing of the "Renewal of EPLF-TPLF alliance: what prospects". My first instinct was to put him where he belongs and ignore his allegation knowing where his views come from. Responses to his article driven by ethnic and political grouping prompted me to write instead.

Dagmawi thinks the two enemies to be able to talk face to face can only be on friendly terms. He says, "Direct talks, without the presence of outside observers, would reduce the talks to the level of a private TPLF-EPLF reconciliation conference." First, I can't understand how the two groups could hold talks without foreign mediators on the table. Second, what makes him think that the Americans or Europeans are out there to monitor the parties talking to make sure Ethiopia's interests are put first? Third, how is it ever possible that the TPLF and EPLF are closer to strike deal or an alliance amidst uneasy talks clouded by bloodshed and destruction? Fourth, why would it not be in the interest of Eritrea (as he says) if the EPLF talks the TPLF into a conspiracy? I can go on. Out of mistrust or desperation it seems, he falls back into ethnic politics instigated by the Derg regime.

The political grouping of values and views based on ethnicity is the legacy of the Derg which is well entrenched in Ethiopian society today. The defunct group serves as a 'told you so' retreat for those who couldn't pursue an intelligent solution to a political problem every time they think the government falters on important political decisions on Eritrea. The ethnically driven political divisiveness has an important element of mistrust to it which makes it going. That is exactly what Dagmawi explicitly portrayed in his writing. He fails to distinguish Meles from the TPLF and both from the people of Tigray.

The defunct Derg group is reactionary by nature yearning to the old days of the dysfunctional system of government and society which kept Ethiopia in the dark for a century. It rears its head every time there is unpleasant news in the country and uses subversive and destructive nationalism such as ethnic politics in the name of Ethiopian unity. Its tactic is to indiscriminately mingle and denigrate a political organization such as the TPLF with the people of Tigray. The group has neither the willingness nor the ability to recognize the TPLF and the people of Tigray as distinct political entities, on the one hand, and harmonious as an organization, on the other. In the first case they may or may not converge in their political aspirations, while in the second, they are inseparable, symbolizing Tigrean resistance and triumph over injustice, which is also inherently Ethiopian.

The unity of Ethiopia the group swears on can hardly hide its malice towards other ethnic Ethiopians, therefore its anti-Ethiopian nature. We Ethiopians should be reminded once and again of the same tactics of ethnic division used by foreign interests to mobilize the disgruntled groups against Ethiopia's political integrity. I have to recall the infamous statement of Benjamin A Gilman of the US congressman on his stance against Ethiopia during the peace talks with Eritrea last year.

That is why I would take Dagimawi's interpretation of events as a manifestation of political believes of the disgruntled group rather than for what it is worth as an individual point of view. I am not, however, dismissing his concerns about the handling of the peace talks by the government. Ethiopia's future national security depends on this talks. The issues raised by others on the site notably By Belai Abbai and Zeru Kehishen on the question of Assab and Meles' behavior in this regard is something that should be taken seriously and discussed extensively.

However, with the peace talks between Ethiopia and Eritrea gone underground and the Ethiopian government shutting down all the windows that it briefly opened for public discussion through its web sites before the May military offensive, it is possible that Meles' rhetoric of the -status quo anti- could be a reality and back to ground-zero.

There should be even greater concern given the intentions of Meles' speech and the statements that are out (such as by East African Forum, July 24). The writer tries to assure us what the leaders are about to achieve without him telling us how we got into this messy situation if it wasn't for the 'ingenuity and determination' of the political leadership he describes. Why wasn't Ethiopia's security against Eritrea looked after before this destruction could ensue even with the people of Tigray warning the government of the imminent danger of the invasion? The writer has yet to learn that the people would and should never entrust their country to a political party or leader in today's world and most definitely with a crisis-prone country such as ours. It has been a while since Meles completely disassociated the TPLF from its culture of collective decision. He runs his leadership under the blanket of blind loyalists with such a peculiar attitude - our leaders know every thing; the! y know what they are doing, you will see- kind of attitude.

The military victories and Eritrea's submission to security zone inside its territory and so on can not be taken as major successes by themselves to end this bloody war. The current progress in the military front is transient that has nothing to do with the future outcome of the peace talks and the indications on the political front are rather bleak from the outset. There was no evidence of the government capitalizing on political or diplomatic accounts in spite of its military success. One example is the Ethiopian leadership failure to secure the unconditional release of its nationals languishing in the prisons of the Eritrean regime by the tens of thousands of them. Many young men and women are already believed to be victims of war crimes held back by the Eritrean regime from the rest of their families deported to Ethiopia recently. What could be most important to a country and government than to protect its people and territory from this kind of atrocities? This is inexcusa! ble criminal negligence by the government of its own people.

The war is not over as Meles proclaims. And it has to be fought now than later whether it is politically or militarily, whether it is for Assab or otherwise. It should not be another costly postponement of crisis.