Esteemed Ethiopian Peoples,

As you all know, we have been engaged in a major diplomatic effort on the basis of the stand taken by the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to peacefully safeguard Ethiopia's sovereignty in the face of the aggression committed by the Eritrean government. Accordingly, representatives of the Government of the United States and Rwanda, friends of both countries, have been striving to bring Ethiopia and Eritrea together to resolve the crisis peacefully. The representatives of the Governments of the United States and Rwanda have together examined the crisis at length and presented to both Governments a proposal towards a peaceful resolution of the crisis. The proposal was made public yesterday.

The proposal presented by the representatives of the two countries for the peaceful resolution of the crisis is as follows:

• the withdrawal by the Eritrean Government of its troops from Badme and the putting in place of an observer force to ensure that the withdrawal is implemented.
• In conjunction with the above step, the reinstatement of the Ethiopian administration that existed in the Badme area prior to the invasion. Following the implementation of the above measures, the proposal also calls for steps to be taken to reduce tensions caused by the invasion, including the redeployment of troops of both countries from the border area; the delimitation and demarcation of the Ethiopia-Eritrea boundary on the basis of international agreements and international law; and the investigation into the causes of the conflict.

The Ethiopian Government has been insisting from the very beginning that to resolve the crisis peacefully the Eritrean Government must first withdraw its troops from areas it forcefully occupied. In view of the fact that our Government had repeatedly stated that if the Eritrean Government adhered to this legitimate demand and withdrew from the area, that Ethiopia would be ready to reduce tensions and work towards the peaceful and legal resolution of the boundary issues; and since the proposal of the facilitators is consistent with the Ethiopian position, the Ethiopian Government fully accepts the proposal of the facilitators in the belief that the proposal would lay a firm foundation for the peaceful resolution of the crisis.

The direction followed by our government so far to resolve the crisis peacefully has been fully supported by the peace-loving peoples of Ethiopia and our region, and has received the strong acceptance of the international community. Our genuine stand for peace, however, has been mistakenly interpreted by the Eritrean Government as weakness. That is why, as if the aggression of the Badme area was not enough, it has as of yesterday expanded its invasion to other sectors, and particularly the Zalembessa area.

Proceeding from its strong commitment to peace and in the interest of creating an enabling environment for the efforts of the facilitators, the Ethiopian Government has exercised maximum restraint in its reaction to the aggression against our country. Eritrea's leaders have proved unwilling to understand and work for peace as they are deliberately engaged in frustrating the peaceful endeavors of the international community and in aggravating the conflict. Although the Ethiopian Government maintains its stand for peace and supports the compromise proposal presented by the Governments of the United States and Rwanda even now, the continued aggression of the Eritrean Government have exhausted our patience. Therefore, the Defense Forces of Ethiopia have been directed to take all necessary measures against the repeated aggressions of the Eritrean Government and to safeguard the territorial integrity of the country.

The response and the support shown by the Ethiopian peoples in favor of the peaceful resolution of the problem emanating from their love for peace is a source of pride. It has also received the admiration of peoples the world over. The situation demands that while the Ethiopian people continue with their peaceful efforts, every necessary measure to safeguard the country's territorial integrity be taken. I therefore call upon all the peoples of Ethiopia to take all the actions necessary for the safeguarding of our country according to directives to be issues by organs of the Government and the Defense Forces of Ethiopia.