US embassy cable - 05ADDISABABA3867

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ADDIS ABABA 003867 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF DAS YAMAMOTO, EREDDICK 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/15/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PHUM, ET, UNREST, ELEC 
SUBJECT: ETHIOPIA: CHARGE PRESSES MFA STATE MINISTER ON 
DIALOGUE, DETAINEES 
 
Classified By: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES A.I. VICKI HUDDLESTON, FOR REASONS 1.4 
 (B) and (D). 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY:  The Charge took advantage of a meeting with 
State Minister of Foreign Affairs Tekeda Alemu to urge that 
the GOE to move engage those opposition leaders not 
imprisoned and prevent further unrest.  She called for 
humanitarian treatment -- and preferably release -- of large 
numbers of detainees, and fair trials for those not released. 
 The State Minister agreed that most detainees should be 
freed more quickly, but argued that the arrest of senior CUD 
opposition leaders had actually bolstered the democratic 
process.  He expressed his hope that the GOE's detention of 
CUD leaders would not remain a point of public disagreement 
with the USG.  Tekeda supported bringing remaining CUD 
leaders into Parliament and the government of Addis Ababa. 
Discussion on the border crisis with Eritrea and GOE 
complaints about VOA service are reported via septel.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
"Helpful" USG Still Concerned about Crackdown 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
2.  (C) After accepting Tekeda's expression of gratitude for 
recent Department of State statements  -- which he called 
were "more helpful than any other country's" -- the Charge 
pointed out that, while the USG does indeed want to be 
helpful and balanced, it did have serious concerns about the 
internal political situation.  She said the USG believed that 
the GOE had mishandled recent demonstration and had "huge 
concerns" regarding the number and treatment of detainees, 
especially as many are apparently minors.  She said that 
speedy release of these detainees, many of whom are reported 
to be underfed and badly sheltered, would do much to lower 
tension both at home and abroad. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
Bringing CUD Into Parliament Still Essential 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
3.  (C) The Charge noted that, in terms of working in 
Parliament, things were going better.   The November 14 
debate and resolution to create an independent commission of 
inquiry on recent protests and the GOE response were positive 
steps, and that she remains hopeful that Parliament will 
review its rules so that opposition MPs who have joined the 
body can be effective.  She said that continuing such 
progress is one way to attract the balance of MPs -- members 
of the "rump" Coalition of Unity and Democracy (CUD) not in 
detention -- who have not yet taken their seats.  She said 
that word that those leaders are in fact facing harassment by 
security forces was troubling, and said that as she plans to 
host a luncheon for them on November 18.  The Charge expected 
that the GOE would permit CUD leaders to attend.  She praised 
the Prime Minister's recent comments that he still hopes to 
see CUD leaders both in Parliament and taking over the Addis 
Ababa city administration, and said that more gestures that 
reinforce that message would be useful. 
 
------------------------------------- 
Detained Leaders Will Remain An Issue 
------------------------------------- 
 
4.  (C)  Finally, she turned to the situation regarding CUD 
leaders and members of civil society that have been detained, 
noting widespread international feeling that the latter are 
in a different category from the former, and that their 
detention is mystifying.  She said that the detention and 
prosecution of CUD leaders will also continue to be a bone of 
contention for the GOE, both domestically and 
internationally, making it hard to press forward on 
reconciliation. 
 
5.  (C)  Tekeda said that speedier release of the majority of 
detainees might indeed be in order, but cautioned that "there 
are criminals among them," and that the GOE was working to 
find a proper balance between the need to release the 
innocent with the need to maintain security.  Regarding the 
opposition, the State Minister said that whatever the GOE can 
do to encourage them to join Parliament and take over the 
administration of Addis was "in the interest of the ruling 
party and the country." It was his feeling that the GOE was 
prepared to take measures to work with those opposition 
figures not subject to prosecution. 
 
6.  (C)  In terms of detained CUD leaders and civil-society 
activists, however, the State Minister disagreed that their 
imprisonment endangered Ethiopia's process of 
democratization.  This fact of the matter was "rather the 
opposite," he said.  Tekeda called Addis mayor-elect Berhanu 
Nega a "tragic figure" who was duped into siding with the 
hard-liners.  He said that Mesfin Woldemariam (seen by many 
as an elder statesman and pioneer of human-rights advocacy 
here) "has not contributed an iota to tolerance in this 
society."  The State Minister said he hoped the detention of 
opposition and civil society leaders "would not be a source 
of public disagreement," between the USG and GOE, adding that 
"your clout can stabilize the situation."  The Charge closed 
the meeting by saying that the best way to stabilize the 
situation would be to ensure a transparent and fair legal 
process, one that would include access to detainees for 
family, lawyers, and international organizations.  She said 
that doing so is the GOE's best avenue for reducing tension, 
especially if, as has it has said, the GOE in fact has hard 
evidence against those it intends to prosecute. 
HUDDLESTON