Interview with members of THE CITIZENS’CHARTER GROUP

*Dr. Paulos Milkias on the Somali issue below*

Also in the news: Senator Russ Feingold in Ethiopia, Why we oppose Ethiopia’s EPRDF (ETP editorial), Siye Abrha's sham trial to end soon

International: Feds Warn Of Possible Cyber Attack, Huge Beirut rally demands change, Former Spy's Wife Positive for Radiation, Nigerian President to be a student and more of today's top stories

Qaliti qalkidan Urgent Petition - Sign it!

At least 10,000 signatures needed before the Christmas holiday break

Dr. Paulos Milkias on the Somali issue

Dr. Paulos Milkias is a professor of Political Science at Marianopolis College/Concordia University in Montreal, Canada.

Listen to Dr. Paulos’s VOA Interview

Interview with members of THE CITIZENS’CHARTER GROUP

Professor Berhanu Abegaz and Ato Abate Kassa, members of THE CITIZENS’CHARTER GROUP responsible for co-authoring Citizens’ Charter for a Democratic Ethiopia, sat down with the VOA’s Amharic service this week to answer questions concerning the charter. The CITIZENS’CHARTER GROUP is not affiliated with any political party and is comprised of Ethiopians from a variety of ethnic backgrounds

Interview [Part ONE]
Interview [Part TWO]

Read: Citizens’ Charter for a Democratic Ethiopia

Senator Russ Feingold in Ethiopia

Senator Russ Feingold, incoming chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sub-committee on Africa was in Ethiopia this week. In his meetings with Prime Minister Meles, the senator stressed the importance of solving the Somalia issue peacefully. Later today, he released the following statement from Addis Ababa commemorating world AIDS day.

"This year, on World AIDS Day, we are reminded of the rapidly rising rate of HIV/AIDS and its devastating impact on communities around the world. The global AIDS epidemic has claimed the lives of more than 25 million people, and 40 million people are currently living with HIV. Despite recent advances in HIV/AIDS treatment, more resources must be devoted to addressing the disproportionate impact of AIDS, particularly in the developing world.

Africa has been particularly plagued by devastating HIV/AIDS infection rates. During my travels this week in Kenya and Ethiopia, I heard immense appreciation for the President’s successful PEPFAR program. It has become clear that we can only defeat the epidemic by aggressively pursuing a combination of efforts, including broader access to good and affordable health care, prevention education, and increasing the number of health care workers in impoverished nations. We must work together to address this global epidemic in order to prevent future cases of HIV/AIDS and improve the quality of life and lifespan for those people living with HIV/AIDS."

Why we oppose Ethiopia’s EPRDF - direct response from a Pro-democracy website
Response to an article published on the Sudan tribune by Samuel Teshome, entitled ‘Happy to see opposition websites blocked in Ethiopia

ETP Editorial

Although the Ethiopian Government and its sympathizers consider our site (ETP) - and others like it - enemies, in truth, most of us - for a long time - have been dying to write something good pertaining to the Ethiopian administration. However, the EPRDF led government, so far, has not given us cause to do so. Economic growth, democracy, freedom of speech, are things we one day hope to attribute directly to the government; that is when they become noticeably apparent in Ethiopia. The difference between pro-democracy websites like ETP and others is that we are not willing to garnish the truth with false statistics and exaggerations to make the government look good, when it absolutely deserves no such treatment.

Since the EPRDF’s take over fifteen years ago, few high-rise building have been built in Addis, and several pubs, clubs and luxury hotels have sprung up. Some would have us believe that this equates to economic growth. Nevertheless, in reality, our country is still an example of extreme poverty, we are still beggars unable to support our food needs, and on top of that (Beinqirt La’y Joro Degif) the massive emphasis on ethnicity is leading our country towards an insurmountable abyss. (More...)

UN's Top Somalia Envoy Hopeful Peace Talks Will Resume

The United Nation's envoy to Somalia says Thursday's deadly suicide car bombings near the town of Baidoa, where the country's besieged interim government is based and the only town it controls, have not dampened hopes for the resumption of stalled peace talks between the government and Somali Islamists. VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu reports from our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi.(More...)

Siye Abrha's sham trial to end soon

The prosecutor in former defense Minister Siye Abrha's corruption trial presented his closing argument yesterday. Observers say that the trial which is at its fifth year is an absolute sham. The defense will present his closing argument next Wednesday. Meles Zenawi put Siye in prison and charged him with corruption after the latter led an internal protest against the prime minister in March 2001. The protestors accused Meles of being soft on Eritrea.(More...)

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