Letters to The Editor ï Contesting Some Statements ï Show Me the Money Contesting Some Statements I am writing in regard to an article (written by Mr. Larry Luxner) entitled, "Struggle and Survival on the Horn of Africa," which appeared in the September 2001 issue of your newspaper and was based on an interview with the Ambassador of Eritrea. For the sake of setting the record straight, I would like to respond to some of the false assertions made by the Ambassador, allegations that he articulated in a very undiplomatic manner that is most unbecoming to an ambassador. Contrary to the Ambassadorís allegation, Ethiopia never attempted to "re-annex" Eritrea in 1997, nor does the Ethiopian government have any desire to do so now. The 1998-2000 war with Eritrea began when the Eritrean army, complete with tanks and thousands of soldiers, launched a full-scale invasion and occupation of Ethiopian territory. In May 2000, Ethiopia, after two years of patiently trying to solve the conflict by diplomatic means, exercised its right of self-defense and liberated Ethiopiaís sovereign territory from the Eritrean troops. After all, it was Eritrea that invaded Ethiopia, in the true sense of the word, and not the reverse. As the Ethiopian government has repeatedly emphasized, its only objective was to reverse Eritreaís aggression; Ethiopia never invaded Eritrea and it has never had any interest in sovereign Eritrean territory. In fact, when Eritrea held a referendum on independence in 1993, the Ethiopian government supported and facilitated the referendum. Moreover, Ethiopia was the first country in the world to recognize Eritrea as an independent state and has much respect for the Eritrean people. After Eritrea invaded Ethiopia in May 1998, however, the Ethiopian government repatriated, under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross, certain Eritrean citizens who were deemed a threat to the countryís national security. The majority of law-abiding Eritrean citizens who resided in Ethiopia continued to do so. The assertion by the Eritrean Ambassador that the current Ethiopian government is a "minority regime" that does not have the support of the Ethiopian people is also completely inaccurate. In national elections in 1995 and 2000, which were internationally recognized as free and fair, the Ethiopian Peoplesí Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) won a majority of seats in Parliament and Meles Zenawi was twice elected to serve as Prime Minister. The EPRDF, far from being a "minority regime," is a coalition party comprised of four other political parties that represent people from various regions of the country. In fact, the Ethiopian Constitution recognizes both individual rights and the rights of the countryís various nations, nationalities and peoples, including the right to secede. As a Federal Democratic Republic and one of the founding members of the United Nations, as well as home to the OAU and UN Economic Commission for Africa, Ethiopia is a signatory to many international conventions, including the Vienna Convention. Contrary to the Eritrean Ambassadorís allegation, the Ethiopian government did not violate this convention when the ambassador was asked to leave the country after relations between the two countries had seriously deteriorated. Moreover, given its respect for international law, Ethiopia signed a comprehensive peace accord (which was facilitated by the UN, the OAU and the United States) to iron out outstanding issues with Eritrea, despite its complete military victory in May 2000. The Ethiopian government is fully committed to abiding by both the letter and the spirit of the agreement. By presenting a very imbalanced view of the Ethio-Eritrean conflict and issues surrounding the two countriesí relationship, I believe you did a disservice to your readers. In the meantime, please be assured that we will continue to be avid readers of your newspaper and to follow your coverage of the diplomatic community in Washington. Dr. Brook Hailu ChargÈ díAffaires Embassy of Ethiopia Washington, DC Show Me the Money It is widely publicized in Ethiopia that they spent $3 billion on the invasion of Eritrea. Where did that money come from and how was it allowed to be diverted to arms purchases from Russia and Bulgaria? The income from coffee, Ethiopias only major export for 2000 was less than $200 million. Where did the rest of the money come from to buy 350 new tanks, 80-100 helicopter gun ships, 25 upgraded MIGís, as well as arming at least 15 mechanized divisions? And all of this during a major drought affecting over 10 million Ethiopians? I hope you will begin to ask this question, for what do they say, "Show me the money" and I will show you who was behind the invasion of Eritrea? Thomas C. Mountain US Eritrean Peoples Friendship Association