Address by
H.E. Dr. Negaso Gidada
President of the FDRE on the Occasion
of the formal opening of the first Joint meeting of
the 4th year working term of the Council of
People's Representatives
and the House of the Federation
of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Honourable Members of the Council of People's Representatives and of the House of the Federation
Distinguished guests of honour,
Dear Peoples of Ethiopia,
Excellencies,
On behalf of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and that of my own, I have great pleasure to express at the outset my heartfelt wishes, for a successful year of working sessions to members of the two chambers of parliament who are about to commence their deliberations this very day.
It is to be recalled that at the beginning of last year when the two chambers started their regular annual session, we had attempted to set forth the major legislative and promulgative tasks that need to be carried out as matters of prior focus and significance. These were, on the one hand, legislating measures of budgetary rectifications to withstand the anticipated adverse fiscal effects of the drought, and, on the other hand, to legislate bills that will create a conducive legal and institutional medium to expedite and accelerate our ongoing economic reform programme. In conjunction with these major tasks, the undertaking of all the necessary preliminary preparations for the establishment of the Human Rights Commission which is expected to be inaugurated this year, was also envisioned along with such other activities.
As you are well aware, failure of Meher rains in the 1997-1998 farming season made us apprehensive of a widespread and looming scepter of drought. But the unexpected and unseasonal rainfall at the beginning of the
year greatly relieved the anticipated shortage in particular of potable water supply. Concerning shortfalls in food crop production that resulted from the drought, our Government was able to deploy maximum efforts in securing the requisite assistance and in containing the problem without entailing further budgetary outlays.
It is, therefore, on this basis, that the council of peoples representatives gave focal consideration to the legislation and ratification of laws and regulations that have a direct bearing on the facilitation of our economic development programmes. Hence, the council was able to amend and ratify into laws and regulations the diverse bills tabled before it in due process. Some bills are also known to have been introduced to public debate and scrutiny in the spirit of participative democracy and are expected to be finalized in the course of this year.
In addition to its full engagement in the legislative task and ensuring parliamentary support to the reform programme, the council has been active in laying the preliminary ground work for that indispensable arm of a true democracy; Human Rights Protection Regime. Accordingly a major conference that enabled the interchange of experiences of several countries in the field was convened. At this conference, we were in a position to tap into the wealth of experience of forerunning countries that instituted this body in their polity. By interweaving this experience with the objective situation prevailing in our country, concrete action will be taken to launch the Human Rights commission this year. The formation of this body holds a great significance for the consolidation of the democratic process underway. We believe it will also enable those democratic organizations that are on the vanguard of the basic rights of our citizens to flourish in the land and will also instruct our citizens to be beneficiaries of their constitutionally guaranteed civic rights.
Apart from this activities, the council was also in a position to oversee and assess the performance and scope of annual plan implementation of the executive body of the state by giving a hearing to the briefings of the heads of the concerned Ministries and parastatal organizations. In their Sabbatical rest, members of the council were also afforded the opportunity to visit their grass roots constituencies and to listen to their concerns and grievances in order to articulate their legitimate interests during the parliamentary sessions.
Distinguished peoples representatives, and
members of the House of the federation,
Dear peoples of Ethiopia,
It was while the Council of Representatives was fully engaged in carrying out these activities that the Eritrean Regime launched its aggressive attack to violate the territorial sovereignty of our country. Confronted with this unexpected and irrational act of aggression of the Eritrean Regime, the council proceeded to properly examine the situation and its grave consequences, and passed resolutions to tackle the problem in the appropriate way and patient manner as possible. In the immediate aftermath of this aggression, an extraordinary session of the Council was called, and in full realization of its grave consequences not only on the peoples of both countries but also the peace and stability of our subregion, the council passed a resolution with two features. This resolution calls for, on the one hand, the consummation of all avenues for a peaceful resolution of the crisis. On the otherhand, if the Eritrean Regime persists in its anti-peace posture and rejects our offer of a peaceful end to the crisis, it reaffirmed the right of Ethiopia to restore its sovereignty by the use of force. Ever since the Council of peoples Representatives passed this resolution, no effort was spared by the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and all our peoples to implement it.
The Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia realizes that war brings no dividends other than catastrophy and death. The peoples of Ethiopia and Eritrea had gone through the throes of unjust wars imposed upon them. That is why our Government stressed, time and again, from the beginning the need to settle boundary disputes peacefully and in accordance with international law on all those bilateral fora preceding the aggression of the Eritrean Regime. Our Government and our people held fast to the hope that somehow the Eritrean regime will realize the consequent danger of its aggressive provocation and exerted every effort to bring about a peaceful solution to the problem. Thus our Government welcomed the peace making and facilitation endeavours of the international community to avert the gathering storm of war.
The first peace initiative came from the Governments of the United States of America and Rwanda who have friendly relations to both countries. Special envoys of these countries conducted an in depth examination of the crisis and found out that the problem sprung up from the attempt of the Eritrean Government to secure whatever territorial claims it may have through the use of force instead of recourse to the normal procedures of dispute settlement under international law. As such they clearly recommended that the rational way out of the crisis is for the Eritrean Army to redeploy its troops from the forcefully occupied territory under the supervision of a neutral observer force and then to proceed to the delimitation and demarcation of the boundary. This peace initiative was followed up by the regular meeting of the OAU Heads of State and Government which deliberated on the issue and requested the withdrawal of the Eritrean Army from the forcefully seized territory. To ensure the implementation of this decision certain member countries were mandated. The leaders of these countries embarked on their peace endeavours and it is still being pursued under the auspices of the OAU Secretariate and their designated Ambassadors in Addis Ababa.
The UN Security Council is also seized with this conflict and has supported the OAU Summit decision and its peace process that is underway.
The Eritrean Regime, however, has persisted in its intransigence and has demonstrated no good will so far to comply with these appeals of the international community. What the Regime in Asmara is doing at the moment to all intents and purposes is to derail the peace endeavours and to mislead the Eritrean public with its relentless campaign of disinformation and propagation of lies and deceit. Thus contrary to the facts on the ground, the Eritrean Regime is now heard denying that it has never forcefully occupied Ethiopian territory.
Nevertheless, the OAU Committee of Ambassadors has conclusively ascertained through investigation of all the documentary evidences and material witnesses that Badme was under effective Ethiopian administration before May 12, 1998. It also concluded that the fundamental cause of the crisis was the occupation of the areas by the Eritrean Army. Thus the Eritrean Rgime was obliged to face diplomatic defeat. The committee of Ambassadors is now in the process of submitting its report of findings to the consideration of the leaders of those countries mandated by the OAU. In the meantime, other countries that were involved with the facilitation process in the beginning are also coming up with fresh and renewed peace endeavours.
The Government of Ethiopia still views war as a last resort to settle interstate disputes and is committed to exhaust all possible avenues of peace. Whereas the Eritrean Regime has demonstrated time and again its intransigence. It is therefore very apparent that the chance for a peaceful resolution of the conflict is dimming by the day and the likelihood of an outbreak of war is becoming imminent. Hence our peoples are confronted with this reality and the outstanding challenge of this year is to restore our territorial sovereignty.
Therefore, in line with the resolution of the council of peoples Representatives to restore by force our Sovereignty in the case of a failure to secure a peaceful resolution of the crisis, the Armed forces of Ethiopia are made to be in full alert and state of preparedness. In this regard, diverse efforts were deployed to boost the capacity and combat readiness of our army. As these overall preparations are being finalized to the optimum level the Government is ready to engage in addressing the issue of our sovereignty in the avenue of peace or otherwise as outlined by the council of peoples representatives.
We all know that the peoples of Ethiopia have rallied as one man in their patriotic commitment to restore our sovereignty violated by Eritrean aggression. They have demonstrated their full support to the efforts of our government for a peaceful solution to the problem and in the event of a war imposed on them they are mobilizing all their available resources to ensure a victorious outcome for their country. The patriotism of our peoples is a source of immense pride to our Government as they have not only offered their money and properties to the defense of their country but have also blessed their children who are moving willingly into training camps to reinforce the Ethiopian Army. This new spirit of unity that galvanized all sections of the society, religions and ethnic groups coupled with our Just cause will no doubt ensure our victory. Therefore our peoples have to continue with their supportive endeavours which is already a guarantee of our triumph over aggression. In this context, I would like to assure you of the commitment of the Federal Government of Ethiopia to steer and channel this popular movement in a coordinated manner to its logical conclusion with all due responsibility.
Distinguished members of council,
peoples of Ethiopia,
Although the main task of the year facing us is the liberation of our territory from the occupation of the aggressive forces, side by side to this, it is expected of us to carry on with our socio-economic reform programme with a still renewed vigour. We have come to realize in the past seven years that the only way out of a state of dependency and economic charity is to develop the human and natural resources of the country and making our peoples partakers of this. We have managed in a short period to attain to self-sufficiency in food production by utilizing our natural resources endowment. From this achievement, we have come to realize that there is a good prospect to ensure food security at the household level. Thus, we will certainly make headways this year in the implementation of all socio-economic development projects that are commenced in tandem with the assistance of such development partners as the world Bank and the IMF. As extrication of our country from the clutches of poverty and developing our potentials is an issue of survival, we will pay great attention to this challenge along with our struggle to restore the sovereignty of our country.
In this connection, we will exert extra efforts this year to upgrade the quality and quantity of our export products and to engage in market research activities with a view to boost our foreign exchange earnings. We will also upgrade existing standards of the export processing and marketing of such traditional export items as coffee, oilseeds e.t.c...
It is also hightime to engage in the identification of new exportable items that are in high current demand. A coordinated effort is also needed to encourage the private sector that is involved in Export promotion activities. To fulfill the institutional and capacity requirements in the performance of these activities, the regulation to set up The Export Promotion Agency of Ethiopia will be presented this year to the House of the Council of peoples Representatives, and upon ratification the Agency will be inaugurated.
As pointed out last year, the investors of our country can only produce standardized products that can be competitive in so far as the diverse bureaucratic hurdles and bottlenecks are removed. These can only be tackled effectively as long as there is an organized and coordinated involvement of the Government in the search for solutions. Therefore, there is a need to work out a modality of interactions and coordination between the private entrepreneurs and the Government. Therefore, the concerned private sector bodies have to discuss the draft bill in the soon to be disclosed forums before it is submitted for ratification by council.
As enshrined in our constitution, there is a need to review last year's preparations in the establishment of a Human Rights Commission and ensure its inauguration this year. Therefore pending the ratification of the decree establishing this body by council, concrete steps will be taken to organize it.
The other tasks awaiting the attention of the council this year are the ratification of diverse agreements entered into with International Partners for development, and also those laws that have a direct bearing on our socio-economic development. To ensure the efficiency of the legislative process and imbue it with the spirit of democratization, members of the council will continue as usual to scale up the degree of interactions with their constituency. Every available opportunity will also be used to further enlighten members of both chambers in the practical procedures and legal underpinnings of the treatment of administrative, justice and human rights related constitutional issues. Along with this, the chambers will also strive to be in a better position to follow upon the performance and efficiency of members.
It is also incumbent upon the House of the federation to step up its efforts in sensitizing our peoples on constitutional issues and in providing civic education. The wide dissemination of our constitution which is being translated into several languages and the creation of conducive fora for constitutional discussions will be handled in consultation with the regional states. The House of the federation will also continue with its projects to conduct comprehensive anthropological studies of our nations/nationalities and to strengthen the powerful force of the democratic unity of our country. The council will also be engaged in reviewing the activities of the federal Government to ensure the equitable and just development of all the Regions through its scales of budgetary allocation and redressal.
Distinguished Representatives,
Dear peoples of Ethiopia,
You are all aware that the central focus of our Government and peoples for the past seven years had remained to be the consolidation of internal peace, development and democratization while we endeavoured to cultivate mutually beneficial relations with all our neighbours on the basis of equality and respect. This just principle will continue to guide our foreign policy today, tomorrow and ever. We are fully reassured of our peoples full support and capacity to drive out the aggressive army of the Eritrean Regime from our territory and restore our sovereignty, thereby averting the danger posed by this state that is day dreaming to become a tyrant of the Horn of Africa. I would like to reiterate that we will not allow anything to sidetrack us from our chosen path of development and social transformation. We are also confident that eventhough it may take some time to stamp out this transient shadow of Shabia aggression, there still remains the real prospect of forging healthy relations between the peoples of Ethiopia and Eritrea. It is our full conviction that like previous wars of aggression against our country, the aggression of the Eritrean Regime will be dealt a resounding victory by our united peoples and our Armed forces. Finally I would like to make my appeal to the peoples of Ethiopia to continue with their efforts of safeguarding our sovereignty with renewed vigor and, in this regard, I reiterate that our Government will do everything to ensure that these efforts are a success.
I thank you,