US embassy cables:
US urges Ethiopia to back Copenhagen climate
accord
04 October, 2009 | The Guardian
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, 02 February 2010, 05:38
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ADDIS ABABA
000163
SIPDIS
EO 12958 DECL: 02/01/2020
TAGS PREL, PGOV, KDEM, MOPS, ECON, KE, ET
SUBJECT: UNDER SECRETARY OTERO'S MEETING WITH
ETHIOPIAN
PRIME MINISTER MELES ZENAWI - JANUARY 31, 2010
Classified By: Under Secretary Maria Otero for reasons 1.4 (B)
and (D).
1. (SBU) January 31, 2010; 4:15 p.m.; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
2. (SBU) Participants:
U.S. Under Secretary Otero Assistant Secretary Carson NSC
Senior Director for African Affairs Michelle Gavin PolOff Skye
Justice (notetaker)
Ethiopia Prime Minister Meles Zenawi Special Assistant
Gebretensae Gebremichael
Summary
-------
3. (C) Prime Minister Meles Zenawi told Under Secretary for
Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero his government placed
no restrictions on its citizens' democratic and civil rights, only the
right of foreign entities to fund them. Foreign funding of civil society
organizations (CSOs) is antithetical to democratization, he said, as it
makes civil society leaders accountable to foreign entities rather than
their own members, turning the concept of democratic accountability
on its head. Democracy in Ethiopia must develop organically, and
Ethiopians must organize and fund themselves and defend their own
rights. Meles assured U/S Otero that Ethiopia's upcoming elections
will be free, fair, transparent, and peaceful, and elaborated steps his
government has taken to ensure this. While opposition groups may
resort to violence in an attempt to discredit the election, the GoE will
enforce the recently enacted Electoral Code of Conduct and its
existing election laws without regard to party affiliation. Meles said
he has warned opposition leaders that the international community
will not be able to save them should they violate Ethiopian law, but
rather if they do so they will face the same fate as opposition leader
Birtukan Midekssa, who will "vegetate in jail forever." The U.S.
delegation noted that Ethiopia's forthcoming elections would be
closely watched in the U.S., and urged Meles to exercise wise
judgment and leadership, give the opposition more political space,
and consider the release of Birtukan Midekssa.
4. (C) Meles said the GoE is not enthusiastic about Kenya's
Jubaland initiative, but is sharing intelligence with Kenya and hoping
for success. In the event the initiative is not successful, the GoE has
plans in place to limit the destabilizing impacts on Ethiopia. On
climate change, Meles said the GoE fully supports the Copenhagen
accord, but is disappointed with signs the U.S. may not support his
proposed panel to monitor international financial contributions under
the accord. Meles made no substantive comment on inquiries
regarding the liberalization of banking and telecommunications in
Ethiopia. End summary.
Foreign Funding of CSOs Antithetical to Democratization
--------------------------------------------- ----------
5. (C) Prime Minister Meles Zenawi told U/S Otero the
development of a strong democracy and civil society is the only way
Ethiopia can ensure peace and unity among an ethnically and
religiously divided population. He noted that the Government of
Ethiopia's (GoE) commitment to democracy is directly related to
stability, adding that for Ethiopia, "democratization is a matter of
survival." Responding to U/S Otero's concern that Ethiopia's
recently-enacted CSO law threatened the role of civil society,
Meles said while the GoE welcomes foreign funding of charities,
those Ethiopians who want to engage in political activity should
organize and fund themselves. The leaders of CSOs that receive
foreign funding are not accountable to their organizations, he said,
but rather to the sources of their funding, turning the concept of
democratic accountability on its head. Meles asserted that
Ethiopians were not too poor to organize themselves and establish
their own democratic traditions, recalling that within his lifetime
illiterate peasants and poor students had overthrown an ancient
imperial dynasty.
6. (C) Meles said his country's inability to develop a strong
democracy was not due to insufficient understanding of democratic
principles, but rather because Ethiopians had not
ADDIS ABAB 00000163 002 OF 003
internalized those principles. Ethiopia should follow the example of
the U.S. and European countries, he said, where democracy
developed organically and citizens had a stake in its establishment.
When people are committed to democracy and forced to make
sacrifices for it, Meles said, "they won't let any leader take it away
from them." But "when they are spoon-fed democracy, they will give
it up when their source of funding and encouragement is removed."
Referencing his own struggle against the Derg regime, Meles said he
and his compatriots received no foreign funding, but were willing to
sacrifice and die for their cause, and Ethiopians today must take
ownership of their democratic development, be willing to sacrifice
for it, and defend their own rights.
7. (C) Meles drew a clear distinction between Ethiopians'
democratic and civil rights on the one hand, and the right of foreign
entities to fund those rights on the other. There is no restriction on
Ethiopians' rights, he asserted, merely on foreign funding, adding that
the U.S. has similar laws. U/S Otero countered that while the U.S.
does not allow foreign funding of political campaigns, there is no
restriction on foreign funding of NGOs. Ms. Gavin noted the
examples of foreign support for the abolitionist movement in the
U.S. and for the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa as
positive examples of foreign engagement of civil society, and
expressed that aside from the issue of foreign funding, the ability of
local organizations to legally register, operate, and contribute to
democratic discourse was of tantamount importance.
GoE Will Hold Free and Fair Elections, Despite Opposition
--------------------------------------------- ------------
8. (C) Meles assured U/S Otero that Ethiopia's upcoming electoral
process will be free, fair, transparent, and peaceful. The GoE has
learned from the violence that followed the 2005 elections, he said,
and taken action to ensure that violence is not repeated. Meles said
the recently signed Electoral Code of Conduct (CoC) was not done
for the benefit of political parties, but for the Ethiopian people. The
people will ultimately judge political actors, he said, and they must
have parameters agreed to by the parties by which they will judge
those actors. After the CoC was passed, Meles noted, the ruling
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF)
gathered over 1,300 of its senior leaders to discuss party strategy
and train all leaders on the CoC. The EPRDF knows violations of
the CoC by its members will hurt the party and provide a rallying
cry for the opposition. This message will flow down to all EPRDF
members, he said, so that they know what is expected of them, and
know both the courts and the party will hold them accountable to
the CoC.
9. (C) Meles told U/S Otero he feared a repeat of the 2005
violence, and that many opposition members were not interested in
peaceful elections, but would rather discredit the electoral process.
As such, the EPRDF cannot give them any excuse to resort to
violence. Meles noted that in addition to opposition political parties,
the GoE had intelligence that the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF),
Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), and Eritrean President
Isaias Afwerki were all directly or indirectly involved in plots to
discredit the elections. The EPRDF, he said, would "let them be" to
show the population that even though their opponents' goal is not
peace, the EPRDF will abide by the law.
10. (C) Meles recalled that in 2005, he had told opposition leaders
in the presence of the diplomatic corps that they should not believe
foreign allies would protect them if they violated the laws of
Ethiopia. Opposition leaders were right to believe the diplomatic
corps would try to protect them, he said, as evidenced by the
statement they issued demanding the release of opposition politicians
upon their arrest in 2005. Today, Meles said, foreign embassies are
inadvertently conveying the same message, that they will protest the
jailing of opposition leaders and potentially take action against
Ethiopia to secure their release. However, the GoE has made clear
to both opposition and EPRDF leaders that nothing can protect
them except the laws and constitution of Ethiopia, and the GoE will
clamp down on anyone who violates those laws. "We will crush
them with our full force," Meles said, and "they will vegetate like
Birtukan (Midekssa) in jail forever."
ADDIS ABAB 00000163 003 OF 003
11. (C) In an extended discussion in response to Meles' comments,
U/S Otero, A/S Carson, and Ms. Gavin noted that Ethiopia's
forthcoming elections would be closely watched in the U.S. and that
the GoE's treatment of the opposition would be subject to public
criticism by the Ethiopian diaspora and U.S. political figures. The
U.S. delegation urged Meles to exercise wise judgment and
leadership, give the opposition more political space, and consider
the release of Birtukan Midekssa. A/S Carson stressed the
importance of putting Ethiopia's democracy on an upward and
positive trajectory, and not letting it atrophy or slide backward,
using the suffrage and civil rights movements in the U.S. as an
illustration of challenges the U.S. has faced as it improved its own
democratic system. (Note: Three quarters of the nearly two-hour
meeting focused on democracy. End note.)
Ethiopia Not Enthusiastic About Jubaland Initiative
--------------------------------------------- ------
12. (C) Meles said he had been briefed extensively regarding
Kenya's Jubaland initiative. Because Ethiopia had previously
intervened in Somalia without seeking Kenyan approval, he said, the
GoE would not presume to analyze the Kenyans' chances for
success in their own intervention. The GoE is sharing intelligence
with Kenya, but Meles expressed a lack of confidence in Kenya's
capacity to pull off a tactical success, which he feared could have
negative regional impacts. The GoE is therefore working to minimize
the likelihood of a spillover effect in Ethiopia's Somali Regional
State. Noting that Ethiopia might have underestimated Kenya,
Meles said, "We are not enthusiastic, but we are hoping for success."
GoE Prepared to Move Forward from Copenhagen
--------------------------------------------
13. (C) U/S Otero urged Meles to sign the Copenhagen accord on
climate change and explained that it is a point of departure for
further discussion and movement forward on the topic. She noted
that while the agreement has its limitations, it has the international
community moving in the right direction. Meles responded that the
GoE supported the accord in Copenhagen and would support it at
the AU Summit. However, he expressed his disappointment that
despite President Obama's personal assurance to him that finances
committed in Copenhagen would be made available, he had
received word from contacts at the UN that the U.S. was not
supportive of Ethiopia's proposal for a panel to monitor financial
pledges regarding climate change. Ms. Gavin assured the Prime
Minister that she would look into his concerns.
No Promises on Liberalizing Telecoms, Banking
---------------------------------------------
14. (C) U/S Otero and A/S Carson encouraged Meles to hasten
steps to liberalize the telecommunications and banking industries in
Ethiopia, and highlighted both the micro- and macroeconomic
benefits of liberalization. Meles offered no substantive response to
A/S Carson's query whether any progress had been made toward
liberalizing or otherwise improving telecommunications, joking that
Americans' concept of time was much faster than Ethiopians'. In
response to U/S Otero's recognition of the important role of private
banks in microfinance projects that directly benefit the poor, and
assurance that private and state-owned banks could thrive
side-by-side, Meles said he would be happy to discuss the issue in
the future. YATES
Courtesy
US urges Ethiopia to back Copenhagen climate
accord
04 October, 2009 | The Guardian
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, 02 February 2010, 05:38
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ADDIS ABABA
000163
SIPDIS
EO 12958 DECL: 02/01/2020
TAGS PREL, PGOV, KDEM, MOPS, ECON, KE, ET
SUBJECT: UNDER SECRETARY OTERO'S MEETING WITH
ETHIOPIAN
PRIME MINISTER MELES ZENAWI - JANUARY 31, 2010
Classified By: Under Secretary Maria Otero for reasons 1.4 (B)
and (D).
1. (SBU) January 31, 2010; 4:15 p.m.; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
2. (SBU) Participants:
U.S. Under Secretary Otero Assistant Secretary Carson NSC
Senior Director for African Affairs Michelle Gavin PolOff Skye
Justice (notetaker)
Ethiopia Prime Minister Meles Zenawi Special Assistant
Gebretensae Gebremichael
Summary
-------
3. (C) Prime Minister Meles Zenawi told Under Secretary for
Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero his government placed
no restrictions on its citizens' democratic and civil rights, only the
right of foreign entities to fund them. Foreign funding of civil society
organizations (CSOs) is antithetical to democratization, he said, as it
makes civil society leaders accountable to foreign entities rather than
their own members, turning the concept of democratic accountability
on its head. Democracy in Ethiopia must develop organically, and
Ethiopians must organize and fund themselves and defend their own
rights. Meles assured U/S Otero that Ethiopia's upcoming elections
will be free, fair, transparent, and peaceful, and elaborated steps his
government has taken to ensure this. While opposition groups may
resort to violence in an attempt to discredit the election, the GoE will
enforce the recently enacted Electoral Code of Conduct and its
existing election laws without regard to party affiliation. Meles said
he has warned opposition leaders that the international community
will not be able to save them should they violate Ethiopian law, but
rather if they do so they will face the same fate as opposition leader
Birtukan Midekssa, who will "vegetate in jail forever." The U.S.
delegation noted that Ethiopia's forthcoming elections would be
closely watched in the U.S., and urged Meles to exercise wise
judgment and leadership, give the opposition more political space,
and consider the release of Birtukan Midekssa.
4. (C) Meles said the GoE is not enthusiastic about Kenya's
Jubaland initiative, but is sharing intelligence with Kenya and hoping
for success. In the event the initiative is not successful, the GoE has
plans in place to limit the destabilizing impacts on Ethiopia. On
climate change, Meles said the GoE fully supports the Copenhagen
accord, but is disappointed with signs the U.S. may not support his
proposed panel to monitor international financial contributions under
the accord. Meles made no substantive comment on inquiries
regarding the liberalization of banking and telecommunications in
Ethiopia. End summary.
Foreign Funding of CSOs Antithetical to Democratization
--------------------------------------------- ----------
5. (C) Prime Minister Meles Zenawi told U/S Otero the
development of a strong democracy and civil society is the only way
Ethiopia can ensure peace and unity among an ethnically and
religiously divided population. He noted that the Government of
Ethiopia's (GoE) commitment to democracy is directly related to
stability, adding that for Ethiopia, "democratization is a matter of
survival." Responding to U/S Otero's concern that Ethiopia's
recently-enacted CSO law threatened the role of civil society,
Meles said while the GoE welcomes foreign funding of charities,
those Ethiopians who want to engage in political activity should
organize and fund themselves. The leaders of CSOs that receive
foreign funding are not accountable to their organizations, he said,
but rather to the sources of their funding, turning the concept of
democratic accountability on its head. Meles asserted that
Ethiopians were not too poor to organize themselves and establish
their own democratic traditions, recalling that within his lifetime
illiterate peasants and poor students had overthrown an ancient
imperial dynasty.
6. (C) Meles said his country's inability to develop a strong
democracy was not due to insufficient understanding of democratic
principles, but rather because Ethiopians had not
ADDIS ABAB 00000163 002 OF 003
internalized those principles. Ethiopia should follow the example of
the U.S. and European countries, he said, where democracy
developed organically and citizens had a stake in its establishment.
When people are committed to democracy and forced to make
sacrifices for it, Meles said, "they won't let any leader take it away
from them." But "when they are spoon-fed democracy, they will give
it up when their source of funding and encouragement is removed."
Referencing his own struggle against the Derg regime, Meles said he
and his compatriots received no foreign funding, but were willing to
sacrifice and die for their cause, and Ethiopians today must take
ownership of their democratic development, be willing to sacrifice
for it, and defend their own rights.
7. (C) Meles drew a clear distinction between Ethiopians'
democratic and civil rights on the one hand, and the right of foreign
entities to fund those rights on the other. There is no restriction on
Ethiopians' rights, he asserted, merely on foreign funding, adding that
the U.S. has similar laws. U/S Otero countered that while the U.S.
does not allow foreign funding of political campaigns, there is no
restriction on foreign funding of NGOs. Ms. Gavin noted the
examples of foreign support for the abolitionist movement in the
U.S. and for the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa as
positive examples of foreign engagement of civil society, and
expressed that aside from the issue of foreign funding, the ability of
local organizations to legally register, operate, and contribute to
democratic discourse was of tantamount importance.
GoE Will Hold Free and Fair Elections, Despite Opposition
--------------------------------------------- ------------
8. (C) Meles assured U/S Otero that Ethiopia's upcoming electoral
process will be free, fair, transparent, and peaceful. The GoE has
learned from the violence that followed the 2005 elections, he said,
and taken action to ensure that violence is not repeated. Meles said
the recently signed Electoral Code of Conduct (CoC) was not done
for the benefit of political parties, but for the Ethiopian people. The
people will ultimately judge political actors, he said, and they must
have parameters agreed to by the parties by which they will judge
those actors. After the CoC was passed, Meles noted, the ruling
Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF)
gathered over 1,300 of its senior leaders to discuss party strategy
and train all leaders on the CoC. The EPRDF knows violations of
the CoC by its members will hurt the party and provide a rallying
cry for the opposition. This message will flow down to all EPRDF
members, he said, so that they know what is expected of them, and
know both the courts and the party will hold them accountable to
the CoC.
9. (C) Meles told U/S Otero he feared a repeat of the 2005
violence, and that many opposition members were not interested in
peaceful elections, but would rather discredit the electoral process.
As such, the EPRDF cannot give them any excuse to resort to
violence. Meles noted that in addition to opposition political parties,
the GoE had intelligence that the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF),
Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), and Eritrean President
Isaias Afwerki were all directly or indirectly involved in plots to
discredit the elections. The EPRDF, he said, would "let them be" to
show the population that even though their opponents' goal is not
peace, the EPRDF will abide by the law.
10. (C) Meles recalled that in 2005, he had told opposition leaders
in the presence of the diplomatic corps that they should not believe
foreign allies would protect them if they violated the laws of
Ethiopia. Opposition leaders were right to believe the diplomatic
corps would try to protect them, he said, as evidenced by the
statement they issued demanding the release of opposition politicians
upon their arrest in 2005. Today, Meles said, foreign embassies are
inadvertently conveying the same message, that they will protest the
jailing of opposition leaders and potentially take action against
Ethiopia to secure their release. However, the GoE has made clear
to both opposition and EPRDF leaders that nothing can protect
them except the laws and constitution of Ethiopia, and the GoE will
clamp down on anyone who violates those laws. "We will crush
them with our full force," Meles said, and "they will vegetate like
Birtukan (Midekssa) in jail forever."
ADDIS ABAB 00000163 003 OF 003
11. (C) In an extended discussion in response to Meles' comments,
U/S Otero, A/S Carson, and Ms. Gavin noted that Ethiopia's
forthcoming elections would be closely watched in the U.S. and that
the GoE's treatment of the opposition would be subject to public
criticism by the Ethiopian diaspora and U.S. political figures. The
U.S. delegation urged Meles to exercise wise judgment and
leadership, give the opposition more political space, and consider
the release of Birtukan Midekssa. A/S Carson stressed the
importance of putting Ethiopia's democracy on an upward and
positive trajectory, and not letting it atrophy or slide backward,
using the suffrage and civil rights movements in the U.S. as an
illustration of challenges the U.S. has faced as it improved its own
democratic system. (Note: Three quarters of the nearly two-hour
meeting focused on democracy. End note.)
Ethiopia Not Enthusiastic About Jubaland Initiative
--------------------------------------------- ------
12. (C) Meles said he had been briefed extensively regarding
Kenya's Jubaland initiative. Because Ethiopia had previously
intervened in Somalia without seeking Kenyan approval, he said, the
GoE would not presume to analyze the Kenyans' chances for
success in their own intervention. The GoE is sharing intelligence
with Kenya, but Meles expressed a lack of confidence in Kenya's
capacity to pull off a tactical success, which he feared could have
negative regional impacts. The GoE is therefore working to minimize
the likelihood of a spillover effect in Ethiopia's Somali Regional
State. Noting that Ethiopia might have underestimated Kenya,
Meles said, "We are not enthusiastic, but we are hoping for success."
GoE Prepared to Move Forward from Copenhagen
--------------------------------------------
13. (C) U/S Otero urged Meles to sign the Copenhagen accord on
climate change and explained that it is a point of departure for
further discussion and movement forward on the topic. She noted
that while the agreement has its limitations, it has the international
community moving in the right direction. Meles responded that the
GoE supported the accord in Copenhagen and would support it at
the AU Summit. However, he expressed his disappointment that
despite President Obama's personal assurance to him that finances
committed in Copenhagen would be made available, he had
received word from contacts at the UN that the U.S. was not
supportive of Ethiopia's proposal for a panel to monitor financial
pledges regarding climate change. Ms. Gavin assured the Prime
Minister that she would look into his concerns.
No Promises on Liberalizing Telecoms, Banking
---------------------------------------------
14. (C) U/S Otero and A/S Carson encouraged Meles to hasten
steps to liberalize the telecommunications and banking industries in
Ethiopia, and highlighted both the micro- and macroeconomic
benefits of liberalization. Meles offered no substantive response to
A/S Carson's query whether any progress had been made toward
liberalizing or otherwise improving telecommunications, joking that
Americans' concept of time was much faster than Ethiopians'. In
response to U/S Otero's recognition of the important role of private
banks in microfinance projects that directly benefit the poor, and
assurance that private and state-owned banks could thrive
side-by-side, Meles said he would be happy to discuss the issue in
the future. YATES
Courtesy
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