     Gacal | Saturday, April 07, 2001 - 12:54 am
Addis Ababa, 6 April: Dr Abd al-Majid Husayn [has] said Ethiopia will not be deterred by the desperate statements coming from a group holed up in hotels in Mogadishu with no authority anywhere else in Somalia and who are bent to raise the ghosts of hatred among the people of Ethiopia and Somalia.
Dr Abd al-Majid, Ethiopia's permanent representative to the UN, was reacting to a letter of Mr Ali Khalif Galayr of Somalia to the UNSC [UN Security Council] president, portraying Ethiopia as a state bent on destabilizing Somalia. He described the accusation labelled against his country as outrageous and saddening.
Dr Abd al-Majid pointed out in his letter to the UNSC president on 4 April that the contrary was true is exemplified by Ethiopia's positive actions during the past 10 years in helping Somalia. One of these actions, he said, is the hosting of thousands of Somali refugees which continued to this day. There are currently more than 250,000 bona fide refugees with a similar number also living with the host population, he added.
Dr Abd al-Majid told the UNSC president that the spirit of goodwill towards Somalia will continue in cooperation with Ethiopia's partners in IGAD [Inter-Governmental Authority on Development]. He said we will certainly not be deterred by the desperate statements coming from a group holed up in hotels in Mogadishu on a two square kilometres radius, with no authority anywhere else in Somalia, and who are bent to raise the ghosts of hatred among the two peoples. Noting that the group will fail dismally in this, Abd al-Majid advised them to concentrate in meaningful actions towards the reconciliation process within their country.
He said Ethiopia should not be used as a scapegoat for their failures in that direction during the past seven months. He said posturing at international gatherings and fora will not be a substitute for the failure on the internal front. What they have aggressively been pursing is the attendance of international conferences and seeking millions [of money] to silence their opponents and not peaceful dialogue with them or their main neighbour, Abd al-Majid said.
Source: Walta Information Centre web site, Addis Ababa, in English 6 Apr 01 |
