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Notice to All Concerned

Sophistry of an Internal Enemy Régime

Prof. Nebyat Teferi, Dr Grma Abebe, Dr Teshome Amare, Mr Zewdé Hayle Maryam

5th February 2002

We beg leave to invite the attention of All Concerned to the novel sophistry of an "Internal Enemy Régime", which has, hitherto, not been in the list of common legal or diplomatic jargons.

Since 28th May 1991, however, the overt and covert external enemies of the Ethiopian People were provided with the first unique opportunity of implanting a small separatist terror group, EPRDF, in the saddle of political power in Ethiopia by mischievously designing the establishment of an Internal Enemy Régime in the country which made a weird colophon in world history, to be assessed as a grotesque example by any logical or objective reckoning!

The current head of the said régime is Mr Meles (in fact Legese) Zénawi (hereafter "Meles"), who now acts as the "Prime Minster" of Ethiopia; and strangely so, at the same time, as the leader of TPLF, a separatist group!! The entailed logical flaw, if noticed, seems to concern none other than us. Let us therefore, albeit briefly, provide here at least a few inductively verifiable historical and current evidence for the sophistry mentioned above:

1. On 13 December 1992, Meles, in writing, implored Boutros Boutros Ghali, the Secretary General of the United Nations, (who was known to be afflicted with an unusual aversion against anything Ethiopian, and had actually "secretly" advised the initiation of Meles' move,) in effect, to facilitate the separation of the Eritrean province from Ethiopia, that, inter alia, was calculated to land-lock the country. No other Prime Minster, in all history has done such a blunder before. Nonetheless, in remarkable contrast, when later on Puntland and northern Somalia, announced its effective separation from the rest of a stateless country of Somalia, Meles steadfastly refused to give it recognition. Meles has thereby sweetly demonstrated that he is not an enemy of the People of Somalia, but has highlighted the fact that his hostility has been only against the innocent People of Ethiopia. No one is duty bound to find any logical explanation, if any can exist, for his glaringly absurd disposition.

2. Furthermore, Meles ordered the drafting and introduction of a so-called "constitution", which, inter alia, under Article 39, grants, to every ethnic group, a strange "right" of separation from Ethiopia at will. He was clearly laying the grounds for the balkanisation of Ethiopia, although his evil design has been largely dashed and frustrated in action by the admirable resistance of the Ethiopian People. In this connection, it is noteworthy that Meles has never recommended any other country to follow his preposterous example. On the contrary, when, in Asmera, the separatist régime in that province was following diametrically opposite policies to his, Meles was supportive out and out!

3. We have, at present, reasons to suspect that Meles is more worried than even Isayas, lest the externally manipulated separation or secession of Eritrea --which has been exposed to be illegal by Professor Mnasé Haylé's erudite legal analysis-- might not last long. He, probably, believed that some blood-letting would render durability to the dismemberment of Ethiopia, and, accordingly, during 1998-2000, orchestrated a conflict, in collusion with Isayas, to settle boundary delimitation on artificially concocted border that, unfortunately entailed rather a lot of massacres of innocent Ethiopians on both sides. The relatively minor farce of an internal land-rights dispute was then presented with hyperbole, as an international conflict. Ironically, in the ensuing struggle, Meles, against his will, was declared victorious. He, therefore, making his time, adversely reacted against all the actors who played any significant roles in the drama of defeating the secessionists. Indeed, later on, he secretly killed a few of them, and has now put in prison most of the rest to languish there for ever or until he loses political power. Some of his present victims, to say the least, were not angels, that is for sure; but they should have been punished for the wrongs they had committed with Meles and not for winning him victory.

4. Following the above mentioned pattern of ungainly sophistry, and entertaining weird hopes that he could engineer the creation of a putative "legal" garb that will legitimise, and thus render permanency to the landlocking of the country and de facto separation of Eritrea from Ethiopia, since 12 December 2001, Meles has been going through the motion of an international litigation on boundary delimitation with Eritrea, at the Hague, under an internationally established Independent Boundary Commission, whose distinguished members, possibly, might come at a proper and just decision, only and if only they were to be presented with all relevant and accurate information and valid arguments. But Meles' sinister régime is not doing what any legitimate régime would do for his country. He is taking up poorly reasoned legal positions in the Hague, for the sole purpose of paving the way for losing the case, and thus enhance the position of his apparent counterpart, by deliberately withholding vital legal materials, and evidence, while maliciously avoiding all positions that favour Ethiopia.

5. In the light of the sophistry referred to above, and the reasons indicated, recalling also current and earlier published reservations and a plethora of other manifestations of other Ethiopians and friends, on behalf of all Ethiopians in their country and in diaspora, who agree with our stand, and, in particular, in the interest of posterity, we the undersigned, are publishing this Timely Notice to All Concerned, that we shall not be bound by any negative commitments that Meles and his régime have made or are now making on behalf of Ethiopia or Ethiopians.

1. Professor Nebyat Teferi, in the USA

2. Dr Grma Abebe, in the USA

3. Dr Teshome Amare, in Sweden

4. Mr Zewdé Hayle Maryam, in Sweden

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