Ambassador Vicki Huddleston (right) with Ayan Abdalla Hashi of the Ogaden Welfare and Development Association, one of the grantee Organization, at the signing ceremony.

U.S. Increases Funding for Economic Development, Health and Education in Ethiopia

August 8, 2006
No. 24/06
Addis Ababa (U.S. Embassy) --  In recognition of Ethiopia’s importance to the United States, the U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing new funding totaling $57.6 million (501million Birr) to assist the Ethiopian people in three keys areas: agricultural and private sector development, health care, and primary education. 

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Former US President Bill Clinton Arrives in Addis Ababa

[Former US President Bill Clinton (L) Arrives in Addis Ababa)

Former US President Bill Clinton has arrived here late on Saturday to pay a working visit of the various projects being carried out in Ethiopia with the support of the Clinton Foundation.

Up on arrival at the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, Bill Clinton was welcomed by Minister of Health Dr. Tewodros Adhanom, Mayor of the Addis Ababa City Caretaker Administration Berhane Deresa and other government officials.

Four various initiatives focusing on Rural Development, HIV/AIDS and Hospital Management, among others, are being carried out in Ethiopia with the support of the Clinton Foundation. Bill Clinton will visit these initiatives, according to Dr. Tewodros.

Congressman Donald Payne (L) and ECTV Producer Endale Getahun

US STATE DEPARTMENT FOREIGN PRESS CENTER BRIEFING JENDAYI FRAZER, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR AFRICAN AFFAIRS

July 25, 2006

Q James from Voice of America: Secretary Frazer, I know we are talking about elections, but there are also some other hot places around Africa. So, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask a question about Ethiopia -- Somalia and Ethiopia. The Union of Islamic Courts now apparently controls much of Somalia. There were reports yesterday that the transitional government in Baidoa would like to talk with the Islamic -- so my question is, is the U.S. prepared to talk to the Islamic Courts Union? And what's the U.S. view on the reported Ethiopia incursion into Somalia?

MS. FRAZER: Well, the United States is -- we've consistently said, and we've said ourselves as part of the International Somalia Contact Group, that the key point is for the Somali people to talk to each other. That's more important than any particular element, talking to the United States. And we've especially encouraged the dialogue amongst Islamic Courts and a transitional federal government that was taking place in Khartoum. We thought that the seven principles that came out of the June 22nd meeting were very solid principles consistent with the transitional federal charter. It's been unfortunate that those talks did not take place as they were scheduled to do so on July 22nd. And particularly, we feel that the move of the -- some elements of the Islamic Courts towards Baidoa derailed those talks. We think that it was unfortunate that the transitional federal government didn't show up for the talks as scheduled on the 15th. But then, when they decided to go on the 22nd, that movement towards Baidoa, which was, in fact, a violation of the seven principles, a cessation of hostilities, helped to derail those talks.

Now all of the talk about holy wars, et cetera is actually moving us away from that process of broad-based, inclusive dialogue that's necessary for the Somali people to move forward. We had called, as an International Somali Contact Group, for the transitional federal government to go to Khartoum, which they did. We not only called for the dialogue between the two sides as such, but also to include women's groups, civil society, business community, and clan elders so that they can find their way forward through dialogue. All of this holy war talk is, we think, undermining the process and detracts from the central issue, which is a dialogue consistent with the charter of the transitional federal institutions as agreed to through a two-year reconciliation process.

So, as far as Ethiopia's alleged incursions into Somalia, clearly we have asked the Ethiopians for restraint. And we've asked for that consistently. We've all -- asked for all external parties to be constrained and to allow the Somali people to have a chance to decide their future.

This includes the Eritreans, who are also back in the Islamic courts.

We think that it's -- it's a false debate about external intervention because there is external parties involved on all sides. So there's no -- you know, it's not Ethiopia as a foreign invader. Well, what about Eritrea and OLF fighters who are fighting with the Islamic courts? They are also relying on external supporters, external arms and funding.

This is a problem. We need to get them refocused on a dialogue internally rather than scapegoating outside parties to call for holy war against each other.

Q Thank you. My name is Endale from ECTV Ethiopian TV. I have two different questions from the same -- with one with Ethiopia. As you know, there's an election took place in Ethiopia. And previously, I know, you traveled to Ethiopia and have met with the prime minister, Meles Zenawi, regarding the election dispute. And I was wondering if you have any follow-up on that.

The second one is also between Ethiopia and Somalia. I know you answered earlier, but do you have any direct conversation with Ethiopian authority regarding the situation taking place? The Somalians just demonstrated yesterday. Also they were trying to, you know, push on like a holy war on Ethiopia. So do you think this will be -- (inaudible) -- or are you discussing directly with the Ethiopian government at the moment?

MS. FRAZER: Yes. Yes to both questions. And when I was in Ethiopia -- I've traveled there now twice, one to deal with the Ethiopia-Eritrea border issue, and then recently to consult with regional countries -- Djibouti, Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda -- on Somalia. And in both instance (sic) I had an opportunity to talk to the prime minister, as well as members of the opposition, members of parliament. So we've had very constructive, I think, discussions on the internal issues in Ethiopia in terms of the aftermath of its election and trying to move towards establishing a parliament and parliamentary rules and when the -- in which the opposition has a place, you know, and can exercise voice on behalf of its constituencies, and where, you know, we're pushing the prime minister to bring to trial very quickly those who are in jail, who were detained, or to release them. And we've had conversations with the prime minister while I was there in June, as well as subsequently, on Somalia.

The call for holy war against Somalia, again, I think, is just whipping up emotions of the public and detracting (sic) them from what is essential, which is dialogue across all segments of Somali society -- their clan leaders, the business community, the women's groups, the civil society groups, the transitional federal authorities and the Islamic courts. The focus should be on the Transitional Federal Charter as the constitutional basis for organizing this transition to elections in 2009.

I think too often people think of Somalia as a failed state that will always be a failed state, and they forget that in fact, as a result of two-year process supported by IGAD and the United Nations, the people of Somalia came together and put down a charter for how they should be governed over the next few years.

And the end state is for us to get to 2009. Well, we surely can't get there is our political engagement is demonstrations and calls for holy war. That's -- that's not going to move us on this political path to a legitimate elected government. That's the United States focus. It's not on claims of external, you know, intervention, because, as I said, in a stateless society or stateless country like Somalia, all sides have called on external supporters. You know, we know that Eritrea has been arming people. We know that there are foreign fighters fighting right alongside the Islamic Courts. So they don't have the high ground. The transitional federal government is the existing legitimate institution as recognized on June 22nd. The transitional federal government also has to recognize the reality of the Islamic Courts and what they have accomplished in Mogadishu. But there has to be a cessation of hostility on both sides and providing space for a dialogue that includes all Somali stakeholders.

[U.S. Department of State].

Ethiopia: U.S. Support for Ethiopian Opposition

Question: Is the United States Government involved in any fundraising for Ethiopian opposition groups in the United States? If so, how?

Answer: No. The United States Government does not fundraise for individual parties in other countries, nor do we do so for any political party, American or foreign.

2006/596

QUESTION: This weekend the Assistant Secretary of African Affairs Donald visited Ethiopia and do you have any outcomes in meeting with the Prime Minister Meles Zenawi?

MR. MCCORMACK: I don't have any information to support that claim.

"... The protests here are calling on Secretary Rice - I don't know exactly what they're yelling at her, but do you know if she heard them? They're yelling..."Journalist Endale Getahun, ECTV NEWS asks a question to Sean McCormack, at Daily Press Briefing
Washington, DC
May 16, 2006

[U.S. Department of State]....Opposition extremists as well as ruling party cadres and government officials have been responsible for these unacceptable actions.