On May 30, 2000, the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry told us that "After Successfully completing their mission, Ethiopian Defense Forces Withdraw from Western Eritrea." Why? Because "Ethiopia has no territorial claims over Eritrea. The withdrawal of the Ethiopian defense forces from western Eritrea is proof of that."

Actually, what the Ethiopian Ministry meant to say was that the (valiant, heroic, stupendous, fill in your favorite hyperbole) Ethiopian Army did was withdraw from Southwestern Eritrea (Barentu), to Western Eritrea (Tesenei) on its way to Northwest Ethiopia (Humera). This is either because the road from Tesenei to Humera is far more accommodating than the path from Barentu to Humera or the road via Tesenei provides the "highly disciplined" Ethiopian army with greater opportunities for looting and vandalism. In either case, the gallant Ethiopian army had completed its mission and had withdrawn. All the (demolished, routed, annihilated, decimated) Eritrean Defense Forces had to do was stand by the road and wave goodbye to the Ethiopian Army cheerfully.

On June 6 and June 7, 2000, the annoying Eritrean Defense Force engaged the valiant Ethiopian Defense Force in the vicinity of Tesenei. What? No, I cannot tell you the outcome of this obviously lopsided war which "had clearly been a big battle." You have to read it for yourself what CNN, Reuters and the BBC said about that. If I report it, it will be seen as "provocation" by the trigger-happy folks in Mekele.

Whatever was reported was not looked on favorably by the Renaissance Leader in Addis Ababa. After Eritrea had accepted the Cessation of Hostilities proposal from the OAU, Ethiopia rolled in its tanks once again to Tessenei on June 14, 2000. Why? Because the peace-process was not going well and Eritrea responds to the stick, said the Deporter-in-Chief. And, the decimated Eritrean Defense Force needed to be decimated some more. And, PS, there was more comprehensive looting and vandalism to be done.

Five days later, on June 19, the gallant Ethiopian Defense Forces, having accomplished its "mission" withdrew from Tesenei. Given the double-speak nature of the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry, don't be surprised if Ethiopia withdrew from Tesenei to positions 10 miles north and deeper into Eritrean territory. As for the vandalism and looting if, as we are told by the experts, the Ethiopian army is "highly disciplined" then the only logical conclusion is that the crime perpetrated was not the work of a rogue lieutenant but planned and orchestrated by the organized shiftas running the Abyssinian Empire.

These are our partners for peace. These are the people that the critics tell us we could have made a deal with in June 1998 and avoided all this carnage. These are the people we are negotiating with. These are the people that will honor agreements; these are the people, we are told, that will accept decisions of the OAU and the UN as binding.

Eritrea, unfortunately, has been put in a position where it is negotiating from a clearly inferior position. But this is not entirely due to the military balance of power. After all the balance of power was clearly in our favor in 1998 and for most of 1999. It has entirely to do with amateurs at the State Department and the National Security Agency who stalled the peace process for months while Ethiopia re-armed and re-grouped and it has to do with corrupt bureaucrats who funded its war machinery. We have accepted terms that include placement of looters in our territories for a "temporary" period.

Don't Learn The Wrong Lessons

It is said that a mad scientist was running an experiment with a frog. The scientist chopped off one of the hind legs of the frog and ordered, "jump!" The frog limped. Then the other hind leg was chopped off, and the scientist ordered, "jump!" The frog moved even more slowly. The process was repeated until the frog had no legs left. When the scientist ordered "jump!" the frog, of course, did not move. Wrote the scientist on his clipboard: "curious phenomenon. When you cut off the legs of frogs, they turn deaf."

We are the neighbors of Ethiopia, historically the home of expansionist empire builders. The lesson for us is to have a robust, well-trained professional army and a detached and disengaged foreign policy that is entirely apathetic to the soap opera in the South. In the meantime, let's concentrate on the Eritrean Development Foundation and feed and shelter our displaced population.

Saleh