Letter from the govt. of PM Meles: We unconditionally accept, take Badme

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Also in the news:
[LETTER FROM KALITI - ENG. GIZACHEW SHIFERAW]
[ERITREA REJECTS ETHIOPIA'S ACCEPTANCE OF BORDER DECISION]
[Suspected insurgents battle Ethiopian troops in Somali capital] - [NATO to help transport African peacekeepers in Somalia] - [German court Aquits white men Accused of beating an Ethiopian unconscious] - [OUTRAGE OVER ETHIOPIA CONVICTIONS]

International:
[Zimbabwe passes bill to allow govt. to monitor e-mails] - [Bush pushes for immigration overhaul in 2007] - [U.S., Israel plan to ease sanctions to boost Abbas] - [Baby monitor picks up video from NASA] and more of today's top stories!

LETTER FROM KALITI - ENG. GIZACHEW SHIFERAW

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'BEHIG AMLAK' - Superb Poem by Tewodros Abebe on the verdict

'IF NOT NOW, WHEN?' Article by Girma Kassa (AMHARIC)

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TESTIMONY OF DR. DADIMOS HAILE TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

TESTIMONY OF JUDGE WOLDEMICHAEL MESHESHA TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

TESTIMONY OF DR. MULUALEM TAREKEGN, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBER OF THE CUDP, TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

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Ethiopian govt. continues to Ridicule Siye Abraha

(decision has been postponed in his case so many times, for so many comical reasons - that it’s hard to keep count)

Dr. Berhanu Nega in his book "Yenetsanet Goh Siked" has a dedication to Siye which reads as follows:

"To Siye Abraha and Asseffa Abraha - You are living proof of a government that pays lip service to the rights and protection of ethnic groups while only visiting misery, lawlessness and incarceration on those who stand up for those same rights and liberties"

[Why Siye matters]
[Free Siye Abraha!!]

Letter from the govt. of PM Meles: We unconditionally accept, take Badme

In a letter last week to the U.N. Security Council, the Ethiopian government gave its unconditional acceptance of the commission's decision announced five years ago that gives Badme to Eritrea

CLICK HERE TO READ LETTER FROM THE ETHIOPIAN GOVERNMENT ADDRESSED TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL
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UNITED NATIONS (AP) - After years of conflict and a tense border dispute, Ethiopia has accepted a U.N. commission's ruling to turn over a disputed town to Eritrea.

"I believe it's good news ... that was one of the bottlenecks in the situation," U.N. associate spokesman Yves Sorokobi said Thursday. "If they do agree, it should move the process forward a bit more quickly."

Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993 following a 30-year guerrilla war. The Horn of Africa neighbors initially promised to accept the boundary commission's 2002 ruling awarding Badme to Eritrea, but Ethiopia has not handed it over.

In a letter last week to the U.N. Security Council, the Ethiopian government gave its unconditional acceptance of the commission's decision announced five years ago.(More..)

Also see:
-NUMBER OF WAR DEAD SOLDIERS IN THE BATTLE FOR BADME REPORTEDLY 123,000
-Ethiopia to return key town to Eritrea
-Ethiopia returns town of Badme to Eritrea
-Ethiopia agrees to give a key town to Eritrea following years of border dispute

ERITREA REJECTS ETHIOPIA'S ACCEPTANCE OF BORDER DECISION

15 June 2007, Asmara, Eritrea -- In a statement posted on the state-run website of the Ministry of information, shabait.com, Eritrea today dismissed Ethiopia's unconditional acceptance of the Boundary Commission's decision that awarded the key town of Badme to Eritrea as half-measure and a " bid to mislead the Ethiopian people and the international community".

"Although, the TPLF regime claimed it had accepted the ruling of 13 April 2002, it is putting forth dialogue as a precondition in the implementation of the Commission's ruling." Said the statement.(More...)

Outrage over Ethiopia convictions

The conviction of 39 Ethiopian opposition leaders earlier this week in connection with election violence has been widely condemned by human rights activists.

The leaders, charged with "instigating and organising rebellion against the government" and "outrages against the constitutional order", are to be sentenced on July 8. Those convicted on Monday include three leaders of the main opposition party, the Coalition for Unity and Democracy. Hailu Shawel, the chairman of the party, is among them.

All 39 face either a death sentence or life imprisonment. The federal high court trial began in December 2005 following post-election violence that erupted during protests over polls six months earlier.(More...)

Grenade attack kills four in Somalia

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A grenade attack killed four people and wounded six others watching a video in the western town of Baidoa in the latest flare-up in chaotic Somalia, residents said on Friday.

"The hand grenade was thrown at a video show in Baidoa late last night," said resident Mohamed Ali, adding that he did not know who the attackers were. "Four people died and six were wounded. The video show was full of people watching an Indian movie at the time."(More...)

Also see:
-At least nine people slain in Somalia blasts
-Grenade attack on Somalia cinema
-Four die in Somalia attack

Suspected insurgents battle Ethiopian troops in Somali capital

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Suspected Islamic insurgents attacked Ethiopian soldiers in the Somali capital, residents said Thursday, raising fears of a return of the violence that bloodied Mogadishu earlier this year.

The fighting was the heaviest in the city since the government declared victory against Islamic insurgents in late April. The insurgents, along with clan militiamen, have been battling government forces and their Ethiopian allies since they drove an Islamic movement from Mogadishu six months ago. Thousands of civilians have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced.

Residents in northern Mogadishu said one of several attacks late Wednesday took place at a former factory used as a base by Ethiopian troops who have remained in the country in support of its transitional government.(More...)

NATO to help transport African peacekeepers in Somalia

Brussels - NATO defence ministers Friday agreed to provide transport for African Union peacekeepers in war-torn Somalia.

NATO spokesman James Appathurai said the alliance would decide on further details of its logistical support for the AU force once the organization knew just how many more soldiers it wanted to deploy in the country. The AU is believed to be planning to send 8,000 troops to Somalia in addition to a smaller number of African forces which are already in the country.(More...)

German court Aquits white men Accused of beating an Ethiopian unconscious

A German court aquitted two white men of a 2006 attack in which an Ethiopian-born German man was beaten unconscious. The judges said there was a lack of evidence that the two men were involved in the attack.

The brutal beating of Ermyas M. came just a few months before the soccer World Cup, raising fears of xenophobic violence during the event in which Germany hosted 2 million foreign guests.

The 38-year-old victim is an Ethiopian-born engineer and father of two who has been living in Germany since 1987. He was found unconscious and seriously injured at a tram stop in the city of Potsdam in the early morning of April 16, 2006.(More...)

NSU prof’s fate demands outcry

The only crime that Yacob Hailemariam ever committed is in believing too fervently in the right of self-rule for his fellow Ethiopians.
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For trying to bring to life democratic ideals like free elections, the right to dissent and impartial justice, Hailemariam now faces the death penalty.

The longtime Norfolk State University professor gave up his comfortable American ways, left his family behind in Kempsville and returned to Africa in hopes of pushing Ethiopia along the last leg of an internationally admired political transformation by its prime minister, Meles Zenawi. Bill Clinton once saluted Zenawi as a visionary for his democratic impulses.(More...)

Today's Top International Stories

-Zimbabwe passes bill to allow govt. to monitor e-mails
-Bush pushes for immigration overhaul in 2007
-Hamas fighters control Gaza, defy Abbas
-Amnesty Granted to Fatah Leaders
-U.S., Israel plan to ease sanctions to boost Abbas
-Angry eBay pulls Google adverts
-Baby monitor picks up video from NASA




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