Date: Wed, 10 Feb 2016 08:39:56 +0000 (UTC)
You Mean Save The Monster? Oh No Sir!
In a recent event of Ethiopia-Eritrea Relationsconference of October 18, 2015; former US Ambassadors David Shinn and HermanCohen were among the invited panelists. The event was hosted by VisionEthiopia and ESAT.
In that conference Ambassador David Shinn went to say, "Thereis a question about ... Do we think the two nations would be united in thefuture? Ambassador Cohen could speak separately to that. I don't know, whatwould happen to Ethiopia and Eritrea. I would like to point out one thing thatwas mentioned to me on several occasions in meetings that I had with PrimeMinister Meles, which I always find fascinating, and I was never able to getfrom him [Meles] why he made those statements ..."
Please listen to the YouTube link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqWELyYDeKA
Ambassador David Shinn stated that the late Ethiopian Prime Minister had told him,"Mr. Ambassador, one of these days we are going to be back togetheragain." Well, the Prime Minister meant Eritrea and Ethiopia wouldbe united in the future. However, the late Prime Minister didn’t elaborate how,when …etc.
If I were Ambassador David Shinn, I won't appear to be confused or surprised aboutwhat the late Prime Minister Meles said or what he meant. After all, AmbassadorDavid Shinn was the US ambassador to Ethiopia in 1998 when Ethiopia aggressedand invaded Eritrea. Perhaps Ambassador David Shinn recalls the map on thebottom of this article. The map is from Atlantic Magazine’s article “After Iraq” Feb-Mar 2008. Iam quite certain Prime Meles doesn’t have the ability to draw such elaborated politicalmap. Perhaps Ambassador Shinn can tell us who drew such a map.
Does Ambassador David Shinn not know what his office in Addis Ababa was doingin 1998?
His remarks coming after 25 years of Eritrean nationhood and sovereignty wasstrange. Especially after he witnessed Ethiopia's illegal war of 1998 wasrepulsed by many Eritrean sacrifices.
Ambassador David Shinn's pondering remarks about future Eritrea and Ethiopiabecoming united shows the lowest regard to Eritrean Martyrs who sacrificedtheir lives to make Eritrea as free as it must be. In addition, AmbassadorDavid Shinn's doubts seem to mock the Eritrean youth Martyrs who gave theirlives in defense of Ethiopia's illegal war of invasion during 1998-2000.
Ambassador David Shinn ought to look back at his own roles during the war thattargeted the elimination of Eritrea as a sovereign state. Ambassador DavidShinn must not forget that every Eritrean had stood to defend Eritrea'ssovereignty and would continue to firmly stand now or in the future. AmbassadorDavid Shinn must not forget that despite the US government's moral and materialsupport, Eritrea defied the odds and repulsed Ethiopia's lawless aggression.Ambassador David Shinn ought to remember that he was a witness to the bitterwar fought between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Therefore, Ambassador David Shinn’s confusion whether Eritrea and Ethiopiawould be united in the future is simply an insult to Eritrea's sovereignstatehood and it could sound a mockery on all Eritreans, especially afterEritrea’s triumph over Ethiopia’s aggression and all those who backed theillegal invasion. Ambassador David Shinn ought to remember that the Ethiopianmilitary was spending around one million dollars a day in its attempt todestroy Eritrea, Eritrean sovereignty and Eritrea's core beliefs. DidAmbassador David Shinn forget where Ethiopia got its war budget?
Therefore, what Prime Meles had said and meant should have been apparent toAmbassador David Shinn. The question that Ambassador David Shinn should have wonderedabout was who gave Prime Meles the financial nurturing and moral boost to act idiotic.
Regardless, Ambassador David Shinn ought to have known firsthand aboutEritrea's solid future and statehood. And thus, Eritrea’s nationhood andsovereignty now or in the future must not be doubted at all.
To make matters muddier, Ambassador David Shinn went to explore that Eritreaand Ethiopia should restore normal relations with airlines, telecommunicationand other trades going back to pre-war status.
Does Ambassador David Shinn mean Eritrea should negotiate with the currentEthiopian minority regime [Woyane]? Does Ambassador David Shinn mean Eritreashould save the Woyane regime from a terminal political and power crisis? Actually,Ambassador David Shinn should adamantly pressure Ethiopia [Woyane] to respectand implement the final and binding decision of the EEBC (Eritrea-EthiopiaBoarder Commission). Otherwise, to restore normal relations at present maysound that Ambassador David Shinn had minimized Woyane's idiotic and barbaric misgivings.Or could it sound that Ambassador David Shinn was insinuating somethingregarding Eritrea's future sovereignty and statehood? Does Ambassador DavidShinn understand that Eritrea has paid dearly to defend Woyane's illegal aggressionand invasion that was encouraged by his very government? Did Ambassador DavidShinn forget that he was in the very office that gave Woyane a green light toinvade Eritrea?
Does Ambassador David Shinn understand his words could come as an unstabilizingfactor?
Looking at the map that came out in Atlantic Magazine simply can be a witnessto what Prime Minister Meles meant when he told Ambassador David Shinn “"Mr.Ambassador, one of these days we are going to be back together again."Certainly someone in the US State Department must have known at the start ofthe Ethiopian war of invasion against Eritrea in 1998.
Eritrea has been a pioneer for peace in East Africa and beyond. So, if Eritreaworks hard to maintain good relations with its neighbors, I don't envision itwould be with a regime that has the least respect to its own people andneighbors. Short of that, if Ambassador David Shinn's suggestion is to restorenormal relations with the current Ethiopian minority regime, it means to savean ugly monster and elasticizing the agony of the region at large.
Many Eritreans suggested to the Ethiopians who hosted the conference thatEritrean and Ethiopian future relations should not be under the supervision ofguests like Ambassadors David Shinn and Herman Cohen.
Eritrean and Ethiopian future relations should be a matter only to Eritreansand Ethiopians.
Hopefully, the Ethiopians who hosted the conference may have learnt a lesson ortwo in regards to building good future relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia.It only must be with genuine interests of both nations, instead of bringing thirdparties in between.
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