War threatening Ethiopia overshadows Africa conference in Bonn -Criticism of invitation of dictator Meles Zenawi

In the light of the war threatening Ethiopia against Eritrea the Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV) sharply criticised on Friday the invitation of the Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to the conference in Bonn, "Partnership with Africa”, initiated by President Horst Köhler. "At this conference, which is important for Africa, there should be no place for infamous dictators” said the GfbV expert Ulrich Delius. "Ethiopia’s strong man does not symbolise peace and democracy for Africa, but is responsible for the deaths of 100,000 people in an absurd war with Eritrea.” With his inflexible attitude in the border conflict with the neighbouring country he is provoking a new war in the Horn of Africa. The violent death of at least 25 demonstrators in bloody battles between police and supporters of the opposition parties in Addis Ababa in the past three days is the worst reference imaginable for his participation at the conference in Bonn.

The GfbV welcomed the initiative of the German President, to hold discussions with leading politicians from Africa, writers and experts on perspectives for a partnership with Africa on 5/6th November at the Petersberg in Bonn. Yet only a few of the participants invited from Africa have shown any great respect for human rights, peace and democracy, criticised Delius.

Thus Nigeria’s democratically elected President Olusegun Obasanjo sees military force as the only way of preventing his country from falling apart. His government has shown itself as incapable of dealing peacefully with the increasing ethnic and religious conflicts in Nigeria and is responsible for the death of more than 10,000 people in ethnic conflicts.

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Meles Zenawi infringes international law when he today refuses to implement the peace treaty made with Eritrea in December 2000. In Article 4, Paragraph 15 of the treaty the two parties had committed themselves to respecting the decision of an independent Eritrean-Ethiopian border commission on a future border-line. Since Ethiopia today nevertheless insists on new negotiations it is ignoring a treaty which is valid in international law and continuing to stir up the tension which already exists between the two countries.

"Meles Zenawi’s policies can already start off a new mass killing in the Horn of Africa” warned Delius, "and it is the expression of the lack of interest of African despots for decades in the fate of their peoples. There can therefore be no place for him at the conference table in Bonn.”