“There are anti-peace elements recruited by the Asmara government [in
Eritrea] to implement its destructive plan. Some of them are hiding in the
opposition camp, while others are caught serving such a government under
the guise of journalism,” he said."
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ETHIOPIAN PM DEFENDS POLICIES, SLAMS ICC
ADDIS ABABA (AA <
http://www.newstimeafrica.com/archives/www.aa.com.tr/en>)
– Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on Thursday defended his
government’s policies and accused the International Criminal Court (ICC) of
“intimidating” African leaders.
“Proof of this is the economic performance that made Ethiopia one of the
fastest growing economies in the world,” Desalegn said at a parliamentary
session.
“In this fiscal year, our growth is projected at 11.4 percent, which
surpasses the average 5-percent growth in the rest of Africa,” he said.
The Ethiopian premier said his country was implementing railway and
manufacturing projects worth a total of $6.4 billion.
“The ongoing railway project, covering a total length of 2,095km, is the
biggest of all the mega-projects in the country,” he said.
“So far, work on 1,500km of the stated project is well in progress in two
corridors, the first one being the route from Addis Ababa to Djibouti and
the other running from Mekelle to Awash [towns located to the north and
east of the Ethiopian capital respectively],” Desalegn added.
He went on to say that funds for the project had been obtained from Turkey,
Brazil, Russia and China, and from the government treasury.
“However, the global economic crisis has delayed release of the funds,” he
said, adding that seven out of ten planned sugar production factories would
be built this year.
-ICC intimidation-
The Ethiopian premier said his government was committed to safeguarding the
sovereignty of the country and fighting terrorism.
“There are anti-peace elements recruited by the Asmara government [in
Eritrea] to implement its destructive plan. Some of them are hiding in the
opposition camp, while others are caught serving such a government under
the guise of journalism,” he said.
In this light, Desalegn said, it was the duty of the Ethiopian government
to bring such “criminals” to court.
Turning to the Ebola outbreak, which has killed thousands in West Africa,
Desalegn said Ethiopia would participate in the global fight against Ebola,
saying medical staff from the Ethiopian army would join their African
counterparts in Ebola-hit countries.
Desalegn went on to accuse the ICC of “intimidating” African leaders.
“Our policy is clear from the outset – that the court is made to intimidate
and harass African leaders,” he said. “We will continue to formally stand
against it [the court] and will make our position known when the time
comes.”
Last week, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta appeared before the ICC at The
Hague to answer charges of crimes against humanity.
The ICC has also issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar
al-Bashir for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan’s
western Darfur province.
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Received on Fri Oct 17 2014 - 08:33:17 EDT