An open letter to President Horst Koehler; Federal Republic of Germany
By: Michael Fessehaye
December 17, 2004

Your Honor, President Horst Koehler; Federal Republic of Germany:
Your trip to Ethiopia to save the people of Ethiopia from hunger and disease is noble and honorable. In Meles Zenawi's Ethiopia; if it is not hunger, it is HIV epidemic; if it is not HIV, it is malaria epidemic, if it is not malaria, it is despair; if it is not despair, then it is back to square one to hunger and human misery of biblical proportion and yet Meles and his bandits from Mekele are still gambling with the very welfare and well being of the common Ethiopian man and woman; not to mention drugging Eritrea to their miserable world. But, no matter how much Germany and other donors try, God the Almighty knows you tried in the past, but without farsighted leadership your endeavor will go down the drain as usual. For starters, no matter how much you try, there will be change to the worst unless there is peace in the Horn. To be peace in the Horn, then the adventure of Ethiopia to grab lands that never belonged to them should be stopped. Time for some one to say, "enough is enough" to the minority government of Ethiopia, which are keeping peace hostage by defying the "final and binding verdict" of the Boundary Commission.

The border issue between Ethiopia and Eritrea is closed. After trying by brut force to get what they want, not to mention their dream of erasing Eritrean from the face of the map; the Ethiopians were forced to accept the Algerian Agreement and per the agreement a "final and binding verdict" was rendered. Up to these date, against the rule of law, here are the Ethiopian leaders acting like bandits who believe that can take what they want. But this not the 19th Century, when might used to be right and when grabbing land and wealth of weak and the small by the powerful used to be the norm and the practice. But this the 21st Century where the "rule of law" is cardinal and gone are the days when state sponsored lawlessness and banditry were practiced without impunity.

I am quite sure Germany might be on of those who taking the apartheid minority regime at face value. Allow me to share the inner thinking of this gang before you do and say something that will take both countries to more destruction and mayhem. An inquiry mind ought to ask why all these from Meles and Co; if the solution is as simple as "accepting the final and binding verdict"? Weyane cannot afford to accept peace. The issue at hand is not about "Badime" or "about 800 meters, nothing more" but there is much more than that. War is destructive and devastating phenomenon of the human race; but in the world of the bandits of Weyane "peace" and 'harmony" is the thing they dread and abhor the most if they are to survive. Otherwise, not a sane Ethiopian leader will drive himself to hell on earth inside Menelik Place for just "about 800 meters". Be it as it may, let alone the farsighted and sophisticated Eritrean leadership, a common Eritrean from the streets perfectly knows where Meles is heading. For all practical purposes one could conclude the inertia that is driving Meles and his bandits to this sorry state, making them swim in a quicksand (Azeqiti) they could not swim out from, has to do with the "short term" and a "long term" objectives or hallucination of Weyane.

The short-term component that is pushing Meles over the cliff deals with the immediate aspects of the "Algerian Peace Agreement". It is an open book that there are still two more commissions of the peace agreement that are yet to render their findings and verdict. These are the "Inquiry Commission" (EEIC) and the "Compensation Commission" (EECC). With the Border Commission (EEBC) rendered the "final and binding verdict", which found "Badime" to be sovereign Eritrean territory from the ages, with no ifs or buts; you do not have to be a rocket scientist to determine what the findings of the other two commissions will be. Meles knows, Eritrean knows, and the "guarantors of peace" know the works and the findings of these two commissions are a done deal. The "Inquiry Commission" will find Weyane as the "aggressor" who came to grab land that never belonged to them in the first place. Similarly, the "Compensation Commission" will also find the Weyane liable of all war crimes and they will force Weyane to pay "compensation" to Eritrea. For starters, the "Compensation Commission" has already found Weyane liable of all war crimes in the Central Sector. To that end, can any one guess what the findings and the verdict of the "Compensation Commission" will be in the Eastern Sector and Western Sector; not to mention the wealth of 70,000 Eritreans that was stolen in broad daylight by Weyane from within Ethiopia? And that is what is imparting sleepless nights and insomnia to Meles Zenawi. So, if Meles could, someway and somehow, entice or lure Eritrea to giving up "Badime" to Ethiopia, he believes or hopes the findings and the rulings of the "Inquiry Commission" and the "Compensation Commission" could be reversed in Weyane's favor. That is why Meles is trying very hard to make it look and sound as if the unsolved problem is ""about 800 meters, nothing more". Meles perfectly knows his highway robbery on broad daylight and his state sponsored banditry will cost Ethiopia over $2,000,000,000 to compensate Eritrea for the damage done by him and his bandits.

The long-term objective of Meles and Weyane is about the yet-to-be-born "Greater Republic of Tigrai". Although the world communities are yet to face the inevitable ugly civil wars in Ethiopia, which are in the making from this long-term objective of Weyane; the Ethiopians and the Eritreans know, after every thing is said and done, Weyane are aiming to having a free and independent "Abai Tigrai". From the Ethiopian side, all preparations for the birth of "Greater Republic of Tigrai", as per the teachings and preaching of the 1976 "Tigrai Manifesto", are ready to go. To that effect;

(1) The Ethiopian Constitution has been ratified; allowing "self determination, up to secession" of any and all Ethiopian ethnic groups and nationals. Such provisions were included in the Ethiopian Constitution not because Weyane is progressive and democratic but it was intended to make the secession of "Abai Tigrai" from Ethiopia peaceful and legal.

(2) If the yet-to-be-born "Abai Tigrai" is to exist as a viable state, as outlined in (1), then it was deemed necessary that it should have the territory that is big enough and rich enough to be self-supporting and self-sustaining. Again to this end, rich and fertile lands from Welkait Tsegedie, Tselemti, and Humera lands of Begemidir (Amhara Zone) and Raya-Azebo lands of Wolo (Oromo Zone) have been successfully transferred or incorporated to Tigrai Zone or to the yet-to-be-born "Abai Tigrai".

(3) If the yet-to-be-born "Abai Tigrai" is not to face the Ethiopians in war, who will definitely be back to reclaim the land they lost to "Abai Tigrai"; then leaving Ethiopia economical destroyed, socially and politically divided and/or balkanized, and militarily weak to challenge "Abai Tigrai" is what Meles and his bandits have been busy implementing ever since they entered Finn Finne (Addis Ababa) by the help of Eritrean tanks and heavy artillery. Knowing the Amhara and the Oromo will definitely be back to reclaim their stolen lands, Weyane has done of lot to stem off this inevitability. To that end, the Ethiopian economy is now in shambles, all sophisticated military hardware is in the hands of Tigrawot and in Tigrai at this very hour, and, last but not least, the Ethiopians are being made to kill each other towards Balkanization. The Machiavellian Principle of "divide and rule" of Weyane is in action in its ugliest form where the animosity between the Oromo and the Somali, between the Oromo and Afar, between the Amhara and Afar, and/or between the Oromo and Amhara is at peak level; fueled and fanned all over Ethiopia at full speed by the evil and ugly schemes of Meles and his bandits.

Having done the above preparations from the Ethiopian side successfully, which is to leave the Ethiopians behind to finish each other, or Balkanized, or economically and militarily weak to challenge the yet-to-be-born "Abai Tigrai"; the one thing that is slowing or holding the Weyane from seceding from Ethiopia is this country we call Eritrea and this government we call Shaebia. From the Eritrean side, there are two things that should take shape before Weyane dare to secede; Meles and the bandits have calculated. First, there are some more lands and one port (an out let to the sea) that are be grabbed from Eritrea. These are to include "Badime and environs" which encompasses the Upper Gash-Barka and Massawa. Secondly, knowing the uncompromising position of Eritrea to see a united and peaceful Ethiopia, Tigrai included, it is expected Weyane will have to overthrow the government of Eritrea. Weyane are quite right on that. From Shaebia stand point, "Abai Tigrai" is a cancer that will only eat up both Eritrea and Ethiopia and it should never and never be allowed to see the daylight. To that end, Weyane perfectly understand and accept that Eritrea will not sit on sideline if this "cancer" (Abai Tigrai) is to be born. In short, it was not peace but these and much more evil schemes that made Meles Zenawi bark like a rabid dog on the corridors of the Ethiopian Parliament. Nevertheless, let alone 800 meters of Eritrean lands; 800 mm of Eritrean lands are none-negotiable. "Final and binding" is final and Meles and his highway bandits have no choice but to face the reality and swallow the bitter pill of justice and rule of law.
Your Honor, this is the evil inertia that is driving the minority government of Ethiopia at this moment. Eritrea thought you should know before you do or say any thing that will take people of both countries to more "hell on earth". May God give you the wisdom to give a gift of "peace" to the people of Eritrea and Ethiopia by doing and saying the right thing-demand Ethiopia to accept the verdict unequivocally and unconditionally!
Let the rule of law and justice prevail!

Dr. Michael Fessehaye, an Eritrean-American from USA.
(P.S. The above letter has been faxed and E-mailed to German Embassy, Addis)