A National Conference for Democratic Change in Eritrea
Hundreds of representatives of Eritrean opposition parties and civic associations this week are holding a conference in Addis Ababa: the National Conference for Democratic Change in Eritrea. It is aimed at charting a new course for the liberation of the peoples of Eritrea from the oppressive regime of President Isaias Afeworki. Organizers of the conference are hopeful that the weeklong deliberations will help narrow down the differences among various opposition parties and create an opportunity to bring more participants on board in the struggle for democracy in Eritrea.
It is fitting that Eritrean opposition groups and civic associations should bring themselves together to harmonize their efforts in their campaign against tyranny. The composition of the participants clearly shows that the organizing committee has gone a long way to bring together a substantial diversity of views from among the broad political spectrum of Eritrea’s pro-democracy movement. It is hoped that those who felt unable to participate in this conference may now be encouraged to join the process, and further enhance cooperation and mutual trust among Eritrean groups and civil society organizations. The organizers of the conference have already indicated they will extend their invitations for more groups to join similar deliberations in the future. This conference has highlighted once again that the solution to Eritrea’s problems can only be sought within Eritrean circles. It has further underlined the need for transcending petty squabbles among the different groups in the interest of addressing the much more pressing problems that Eritreans face daily.
It is clear that this conference is a wholly Eritrean affair. Only Eritreans can find solutions for their own problems. The Ethiopian government has always reiterated that anything it might provide in support of the success of this conference, or other similar efforts, would be on the basis of whether or not this would be in the best interest of the peoples of Eritrea, and not of any particular group or other. At the end of the day, what Ethiopia would like to see is for two neighbourly peoples with long and deep fraternal relations to live in harmony and peace under conditions of mutual respect and partnership. Those who may still be under the illusion that Ethiopia might have any other objective that goes beyond supporting the cause of the peoples of Eritrea couldn’t be more wrong. Ethiopia would still have continued to enjoy the excellent neighbourly relations with the people of Eritrea after 1993 if it had not been for the belligerent moves of the regime in Asmara. The government of Ethiopia, and the EPRDF, was easily the most reliable friend in support of the peace and stability of Eritrea. There is no reason whatsoever to doubt that this continues to be the case today despite the current problems between the two countries.
The government of Ethiopia believes that the people of Eritrea know very well who their number one enemy is. It also firmly believes that changing or removing the regime in Asmara is a wholly Eritrean affair. To the extent that the government of Ethiopia looks forward to any result from this conference, it is the hope that this will help bring about a peaceful, democratic and independent Eritrea that is willing to live by the ordinary international rules that govern normal state-to-state relations. The Government of Ethiopia does not have any interest or design except to support the democratic aspirations of the people of Eritrea. As Foreign Minister Seyoum has reiterated, Ethiopia has no agenda of its own other than a sincere desire to see a normally behaving neighbour on the other side of the Mereb, with which it can have a mutually advantageous partnership in all areas.