Direct your browser over to http://www.telecom.net.et/~walta/ or flick through some Ethiopian paper, you will see people scrambling to color Ethiopian stand point and justify its actions in this Ethio-Eritrean conflict period. But reason seems to have deserted them altogether.
It becomes clearly evident that they are restless with their conscience and know full well the Ethiopian Government's faulty policy with regard to this war, hence, a scramble to find scapegoats. It is meant to be a face-saving scheme and hold its respect amongst the mud where it is meddling.=20
The main themes of their writing are nothing more than the following.=20
On bashing western journalists, worried that his country's sins may be being unveiled, one writes "None of the mercenary journalists are interested in dealing with the reality of the Ethio-Eritrean conflict and carry on objective report. We have already established that the media actually serves corporate interests and the latter is a tripartite of big business, government and military institutions."
For corporate interests, the 'rich' and 'historic' 'independent' Ethiopian Empire would have been the logical choice. What the journalists and any reasonable person could see is the fact that Ethiopia, infact, despises peace and that it has no respect for its law or word let alone international law. The fact that none of these journalists attempted to state this should have encouraged the writer to conclude that the journalists are infact, infavour of Ethiopia.
Not only this, but the Ethiopian writers have gone to much lower levels making unwarranted statements. To the point of calling journalists names or attempting to portray false information about them. To name but some, A Toronto Sun journalist, a homosexual; a BBC journalist as being bedded by an Eritrean official; A Ruiters journalist a mercenary. Now all of sudden every western journalist is a mercenary. Take time, check it for yourselves.
They called the US, a biased bigot, when it is non other but the US which is trying to pull Ethiopia's foot off the grave of starvation and AIDS as ever. Now, they have turned to the EU for its stance on accepting the peace proposal at hand and before it takes part fully. They fail to recognize the fact that the world community is trying to be over-sensitive and overly diplomatic so that not alienate Ethiopia and trying extremely hard to make sense of Ethiopia's non-sensible and absurd claims and attitudes. Records show how all these states are and have been sympathetic towards 'Ethiopia'. In the current case, they cannot be expected to endorse an idiotic war adventure.
They called humanitarian agencies, which are working day and night to salvage Ethiopia from death and starvation, that their eyes are only made to see Ethiopian atrocities against Eritreans. When the humanitarian agencies are being faced by thousands of unfairly deported civilians by the 'democratic' Ethiopia, the least expected of them would have been to tell Ethiopia, 'this is out of order, illegal, and unacceptable'. However, even them have resorted to being overly diplomatic and reserved in their statements.
The Arab World is the other remaining body that has to take Ethiopia's brunt of a mouthful. Being accused of giving Eritrea money, I wish. One can only wonder why the Ethiopian foreign minister is visiting Arab countries almost every month or the unprincipled alliances Ethiopia is taking towards the Sudan and others.
These rogue writers have embarked on writing under the guise of western names. It is a poorly attempt to get solace in the idea that westerners are supporting Ethiopia's adventure in the face where the whole world is telling Ethiopia off. They are only deceiving themselves and by the day proving that they don't believe in what they are saying.
Reasonable Eritreans, perhaps the accused too, hoped all these childish remarks were perhaps an attempt to conceal the failed policy of the Ethiopian Government from the Ethiopian people, finding scapegoat. Sadly, it is only the level as much as these writers and their leaders could get to.
It just makes one ask what are we dealing with.
The whole point of the matter is not that Eritreans are worried by such cheap remarks that are self evident and only accumulating disrespect for Ethiopia. Rather, that Eritreans are more worried by the incapability of Ethiopians to face facts and deal with the issue at hand, the endeavor for a peaceful co-existence.
If not being a blind-supporter to the Ethiopian-government, it's the 'bitter' pill of fact that still is in Ethiopians' mouths that is making people unreasonable and at times irrational to such levels where they don't even care about the death and carnage of wars.
No, that is a bit of a sour pill and the reasons go a few years back. Despite what the Ethiopians comfort them-selves in a belief that 'Ethiopia blessed Eritrean Independence', they can't accept that Eritrea had to earn its independence. They even accuse journalists for simply stating the fact that 'Eritrea earned its independence'. The facts speak for themselves. Eritrea is an independent state, and it earned it, you can say what ever you want to say, but the fact remains, I am happy to stick to facts and realities. If the fact that these came about by defeating the massive Ethiopian Army, is hard to swallow to my fellow Ethiopians, I can only say get real.
Who is the next scapegoat any ways? God, The Eritrean?