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Ethiopia says it honors call for political dialogue but says it will not be straightforward

ADDIS ABABA, NOVEMBER 09, 2021 — After President Olusegun Obasanjo delivered his briefing to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) yesterday, Ethiopia's Ambassador to the UN, Taye Atske Selassie, said his country honors and respects the call for political dialogue. "It is an approach we fully prescribe to and even applied in resolving many interstate and intrastate disputes", he said.

The Ambassador pleaded to the Council to understand Ethiopia's context while discussing dialogue. "Ethiopia is a country of 83 languages. But no political group, despite their grievances, have raised arms against their brethren. No political group ethnic or political group, despite their unfulfilled demands, have waged war against the motherland. Diversity is not Ethiopia's problem", he said.

Ethiopia's problem, said Ethiopia's UN Permanent Representative, is a criminal group [the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF)] that refuses to accept equality and let go ill-gained supremacy. Unfortunately, continued the Ambassador, "this group garners support from many sources, some media outlets in the West, some staff members and leaders of international organizations openly support the group."

Ambassador Taye aslo accused foreign powers that support the TPLF terrorist group with communication equipment, satellite information, weapons and even with fighters. He asked these powers to desist from this is illegal and immoral act. 

The Ambassador reminded stakeholders that they should avoid equating the TPLF with the Government of Ethiopia. "The Government represents the will of the Ethiopian people while the other group is advancing through criminal atrocities. Any attempt, including media campaign, to launder the TPLF and diminish the horror it committed against the Ethiopian people will only be counterproductive", said the Ambassador.

Ambassador Taye, however, said "Ethiopia is pained. What we have gone through at the hands of this criminal group will require inter-generational effort to heal. For this Ethiopia needs its children to dialogue and reconcile".

He said that had it not been for the bloodshed caused by the TPLF, Ethiopia would have succeeded in the national political dialogue that it showed readiness towards time and again.

In spite of that, he expressed his countries readiness to support and assist the High Representative of the African Union, President Olusegun Obasanjo. "Ethiopia is best placed to get out of the current problem through such regional solution", said the Ethiopian Ambassador to the UN. 

Ambassador Taye, nevertheless, warned that dialogue and political solution will neither be straightforward nor easy. And for now, said the Ambassador, "Ethiopia is focused on halting the TPLF and rescuing and reaching out to the public that suffered immensely under its cruel and deceptive methods".

Russian and Chinese Missions at the UN also expressed their support to Ethiopia's government and their support to the AU led process. They also denounced US' threat to impose unilateral sanctions on Ethiopia as counter productive.

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