INTRO:  Diplomats trying to end the border war between 
Ethiopia and Eritrea have spent most of their time 
trying to convince Eritrea to accept a regional peace 
plan.  The conflict is no closer to being over, but as 
V-O-A's Scott Stearns reports, it now appears to be 
Ethiopia that is blocking the deal.

TEXT:  Following battlefield losses earlier this year, 
Eritrea finally agreed to an Organization of African 
Unity (O-A-U) plan to end the 16 month old conflict.

There was hope that international monitors might soon 
take up positions in disputed territories with a new 
border commission under United Nations supervision.

Today, more than 300-thousand troops remain dug in 
along the rocky border. There has been  no  move to 
lower tensions and both sides continue to train and 
reinforce positions.

With Eritrea's acceptance of the O-A-U plan, it is now 
Ethiopia that is questioning details of the agreement. 
Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry last month said it could 
not  sign-on to the latest deal because there were 
still questions about redeployment of troops and who 
would control areas previously administered by 
Ethiopia.

Ethiopia has long demanded a return to pre-war borders 
as what it calls an "incontestable condition" for any 
plan, maintaining that Eritrea started the war and 
should thus  not  he rewarded by continuing to hold 
Ethiopian territory.

Eritrean presidential advisor Yermane Gebremeskel says 
the only thing that is different about this O-A-U plan 
is that Ethiopia can  no  longer use Eritrea's 
position as an excuse to keep fighting.  If the 
international community is serious about peace in the 
Horn of Africa, Mr. Yermane says it should pressure 
Ethiopia to accept the plan.

            /// FIRST YERMANE ACT ///

      Pressure must he put on Ethiopia because now it 
      is very clear. Ethiopia has been playing on 
      Eritrea's positions before. When the framework 
      agreement was first submitted, we sought for 
      clarifications. Ethiopia did not accept them in 
      reality, but it tried to exploit Eritrea's 
      caution as rejection.

            /// END ACT ///

Ethiopia criticized Eritrea's refusal to sign earlier 
deals, saying it was evidence that Eritrea had  no 
interest in a peaceful settlement.  Now that it is 
Ethiopia with questions, Ethiopian officials sound 
much like their Eritrean counterparts did then - 
firmly committed to the process, but concerned about 
the details.

The Ethiopian government's Selome Tadesse says 
Ethiopia is seeking clarifications on the O-A-U plan 
because it does  not  want Eritrea to manipulate what 
she calls certain "loopholes."

            /// FIRST SELOME ACT ///

      The reason we have asked for these 
      clarifications is because we honestly believe 
      there should be no loopholes. Experience has 
      taught us that if you leave loopholes, Eritrea 
      has a tendency of manipulating that.

            /// END ACT ///

Early in the war, Eritrea delayed negotiations by 
asking the O-A-U to determine which border towns were 
in what country when fighting started.  That has led 
to a debate on what constitutes disputed territory in 
this conflict -- something crucial to the withdrawal 
of troops and deployment of international monitors.

Because the latest plan outlines exactly how those 
arrangements will be made, Ethiopia's Selome says it 
is more complicated than earlier proposals Ethiopia 
accepted.

            /// SECOND SELOME ACT ///

      What makes them different is the technical 
      arrangements how you implement it, which are 
      the most important. The previous documents are 
      to agree to end this peacefully, which we didn't 
      have a problem with then. We don't have a 
      problem today.

            /// END ACT ///

Eritrean presidential advisor Yermane says Ethiopians 
can not have it both ways -- they either sign-on to 
the plan or explain why they are blocking it. He says 
it is time Ethiopia stop vilifying Eritrea and 
concentrate more on reaching a settlement.

            /// SECOND YERMANE ACT ///

      It has been campaigning internationally saying 
      that Eritrea is not interested in peace. Now I 
      think the genie is out of the bottle. Everybody 
      knows that Eritrea has accepted, is seriously 
      committed to peace. Eritrea has accepted all 
      three O-A-U documents. It is Ethiopia which is 
      stalling the peace process. So I think Ethiopia 
      must be told, either it has to accept the peace 
      process or reject it openly. Then people would 
      know who is for peace and who is obstructing 
      peace.

            /// END ACT ///

Ethiopia says it is still working with the O-A-U to 
come up with an acceptable arrangement. Officials say 
that must include the return of Ethiopian 
administration -- something diplomats had hoped to 
finesse by having disputed areas under international 
control while experts draw up a new map. (Signed)

NEB/LS/GE 

04-Oct-1999 12:07 PM EDT (04-Oct-1999 1607 UTC)
NNNN

Source: Voice of America

When war broke out in May 1988 this small Horn of Africa nation had just one privately owned newspaper. Today, there are 12, with a 13th to be published soon.

But just how free is the Eritrean free press?

"There is no government censorship, but we self-censor," Dawit Isaac, chief editor for Setit, the oldest private paper, told AFP.

"We cannot print something that would endanger national security or divide society's unity," explained Mathewos Hebteab, founder and editor of Mehaleh (Echo).

"If we are concerned about something, we call and consult a friend, maybe someone in government. It's not official, but they can say if it is dangerous or wrong," he added.

Editors say the real inhibitor of press freedom is not the government. Eritrean society is a far bigger problem.

"People think the government is perfect, so if you criticize them, you are wrong. People say, 'how dare you write that?' " explained Yosief Berhe, assistant editor of Zemen (Time).

"Criticism about the current situation (war with Ethiopia) is particularly off-limits. You would be beaten up in a bar," said Dawit, adding that the editors also fear feeding "Ethiopia's propaganda machine".

"If we are to have a free press, we need to first change society. We are gradually moving. In the beginning, we were only admiring. Now we criticise some, and after the war we will write more," added Mathewos.

Criticism of the immensely popular Eritrean President Isaias Afeworki remains taboo, but even that rule has shades of gray, editors said.

Last July, during the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) summit in Algiers, Afeworki accepted a proposed peace plan, but said that the issue of 63,000 Eritreans deported from Ethiopia had to be addressed at some point.

Mathewos contended that an editorial in his paper criticising the statement was not against the president personally because "there was a whole negotiating team present".

"There is a tendency towards hesitation. The boundaries are not well known. Until people try the limits, they don't know. Many rules only become apparent when you break them," said Eritrean poet Reesom Haile of his country, which only gained independence eight years ago.

Reesom said he hopes Asmara University's new journalism degree programme will help feed the talent pool and develop "nosier" journalists.

The biggest problem remains access to information. "We still have the EPLF (Eritrean People's Liberation Front) culture. We can't change it overnight, but people are trying," Dawit said, referring to the secrecy necessary during Eritrea's 30-year war of independence against Ethiopia.

The flood of international journalists arriving after war broke out last year has helped the process.

"The government is becoming aware of the advantages," Mathewos said, but admitted that he must often ask foreign journalists for information.

The thin, tabloid-format weekly papers are in the local Tingrinian language. Front page news generally deals with the conflict, particularly stories critical of Ethiopia, while inside pages cover features, culture, sports and letters to the editor. Circulations average around 10,000 to 20,000.

St. Paul (Minnesota) - The store is small and humble, located on University Avenue by Minnesota 280 at the western edge of St. Paul's Midway.

But its bright green, hand-lettered sign makes a grand promise: ``All That You Need Global Women's Center.''

Behind its picture window is a brightly colored melange -- sarong-like women's dresses and textiles, woven baskets, wood carvings, leather eyeshades and fanny packs, jewelry and curios, most imported from countries in Africa and others made locally by African immigrant women.

There's more. The store at 2420 University Ave. also houses a hair-braiding business, a travel agency, a bookkeeper, a tailor's shop and a computer-imaging business, all run by immigrant women from African countries who share in the cost of the lease.

The impetus behind the store runs deeper than profit. For the women, it may be all that they need to begin to make a new life and, perhaps, to even go into business for themselves.

All That You Need is the brainchild of Agitu Wodajo, a former nurse-practitioner from Ethiopia who started a self-help agency for needy women in that country in the early 1990s and emigrated to the United States in 1994. With the help of various local foundation grants, she began a nonprofit agency in Minneapolis called the International Self-Reliance Agency for Women Inc., which helps immigrant women in the Twin Cities.

The agency helps immigrant women who have no means of support, often because they have fled abusive marriages or relationships. Services include English classes, job training, credit help, advocacy and moral support.

But Wodajo, a religious woman who says a vision from God called her to her work, wanted to do more than just offer a helping hand. She wanted the women to stand on their own.

``Nonprofit organizations always stress help, help, help,'' she said. ``But when you focus on helping, you are not empowering.

``What we are doing is looking beyond that. We're working on building self-esteem and independence.'' She got more grant money and leased the store space to rent out to budding businesswomen. Women who do not have the courage or money to start their own businesses from scratch can sell their wares on consignment in the gift store as a kind of ``micro'' business, she said.

Others like Olufolakemi Afolabi will be employed as clerks, happy just to be making a living. Afolabi, 33, who came to the United States from Nigeria a decade ago, looks forward to getting her permanent residency card so she can work.

``Agitu's organization really supported me when I shared my problems with them,'' said Afolabi, who fled an abusive marriage in Rhode Island with her 7-year-old daughter two years ago.

Then there are entrepreneurs like the four college students in their early 20s who are starting a hair-braiding business called Global Braids in the back room of the store while they attend school.

The young women, who include two of Wodajo's adult daughters, already have begun doing some sample braiding on the weekends to build a clientele, said Bistu Addisu, a braider who works with them. Most of their clients are African women like themselves.

``We will be growing so fast, I know for sure,'' Addisu said.

All That You Need Global Women's Center plans to hold its grand opening on Oct 23. While government officials have been invited to the opening, Wodajo knows that it's the customers who really count.