www.eastafricaforum.net http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gq1hKcrTXjKaGotgcO-9oCUmXC2w AFP July 31, 2008 Ethiopia blames Eritrea for end of UN border mission
ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopia on Thursday blamed arch-foe Eritrea for driving the United Nations to wind up its mission monitoring the countries' disputed border.
The UN Security Council voted Wednesday -- on the eve of the mission's expiry -- to end the 1,700-strong UN Mission in Eritrea and Ethiopia (UNMEE).
"Eritrea is soley responsible for UNMEE's termination," Birhan Hailu, Ethiopia's information minister, told AFP.
"Asmara has repeatedly violated the Algiers agreement and placed unacceptable restrictions on the mission," he added.
The UN council's decision came in response to crippling restrictions imposed by Eritrea on the operation of UNMEE and Ethiopia's refusal to recognise a binding verdict by an international boundary panel that granted the flashpoint border town of Badme to Eritrea.
Birhan called for talks to resolve the disputed border over which the two countries fought a bitter 1988-2000 war that killed come 70,000 people.
"We believe that the only way for a solution to be reached is through dialogue. We call on Eritrea to refrain from any aggression," he said.
But Asmara, which claims that the UN sides with Ethiopia in the dispute, has repeatedly accused Addis Ababa of failing to abide by the 2002 border ruling and bracing for a new war.
UNMEE was tasked since 2000 with monitoring the tense Eritrean-Ethiopian border along which a total of some 200,000 troops from both sides are now deployed, fueling fears of a new flare-up.
Since barring UNMEE from conducting helicopter flights and limiting its night ground operations in 2005, Eritrea has stepped up its restrictions -- which some diplomats saw as a bid to put more pressure on the international community to force Ethiopia to accept the boundary decision.
_______________ http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/feedarticle/7692433 Guardian, UKEthiopia to go to court over FIFA banJuly 31, 2008 ADDIS ABABA, July 31 (Reuters) -
Ethiopian soccer authorities said on Thursday a suspension by FIFA was illegal and that they would take their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).FIFA suspended the Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) on Tuesday after it repeatedly failed to comply with a February 2008 agreement aimed at restoring its officially recognised leaders.
"The ban imposed by FIFA is illegal and EFF will take its case to the international Court of Arbitration for Sport," the body said in a statement.Unless the suspension is lifted, Ethiopia will not be able to play their next international match, a 2010 World Cup qualifier against Morocco on Sept. 7.The statement urged FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to send a delegation to Ethiopia to investigate the problem. (Reporting by Tsegaye Tadesse; Editing by Sonia Oxley) http://www.tadias.com/?p=2196 Tadias, US Obama Team Hires Ethiopian-American Congressional Staffer July 30, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
New York - The presidential campaign of Senator Barack Obama has hired Selam Mulugeta, an Ethiopian American who formerly served as a Congressional Staffer and Special Assistant to Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.), founder and Chair of the Congressional Ethiopia and Ethiopian American Caucus.
“I will be a Field Organizer in the Northern Virginia region”, Mulugeta told Tadias Magazine. She joined the Obama for America campaign in Virginia.
“This means that I would be doing community organizing at the grassroots level to increase the number of registered voters, and most importantly, to increase voter turn-out in November.”
Members of the Democratic support group Ethiopians for Obama (E4O), which is active in Virgina, often say that the November election may be decided by a few thousand votes, and the robust Ethiopian American presence in the state may end up being a deciding factor.
Mulugeta agrees.
“In states like Virginia, Ethiopians are in a unique position to swing the vote. If all of us who are eligible to vote do so, then we could potentially win the state. The responsibility is tremendous, but doable. We can accomplish this by investing more time in the campaign and fully extending the reach of our influence”, Mulugeta says.
“I am a member of the steering committee for E40. I have always supported the organization, even from its days as a loose discussion group formed in someone’s living room. I am so proud of the work that has already been done, and even while I was on the Hill I was quite adamant about engaging its leaders. My role in E4O will be to empower Ethiopians to realize that they can support the Obama campaign by volunteering.”
Selam Mulugeta with Capitol Hill Backdrop
Asked about the high level of excitement within the African immigrant community particularly about the prospect of electing the first African American President, Mulugeta says the candidate’s background is attractive to Africans in general.
“African immigrants can identify with Barack Obama because he himself is a second generation African American. More than that, he identifies with his own African heritage in a way that we all can be proud of”, she said. “He was able to achieve a level of success that our parents or first generations dream of for their children.”
Mulugeta points out that Obama, because of his African background, will be in a strong position to advocate for better governance in the African continent.
“We also believe that his shared appreciation for Africa makes him the ideal President” she said. “He will not be afraid to engage and confront the challenges of achieving political stability and economic independence throughout the African continent, while preserving the dignity of its people. It is all the more reason that Diaspora Africans in this country should remain visibly involved in the campaign.”
The gregarious and young former Congressional staffer landed her gig on Capitol Hill fresh out of college and says she was attracted to the job by her former boss’s dedication to advocate on behalf of his Ethiopian American constituents in San Jose, California.
Above: Selam Mulugeta Campaigning on behalf of Congressman Michael M.
Honda for Keith Ellison for Congress. September 2006.
“I interned for Congressman Honda during the summer after college graduation. I had the opportunity to work on building the Caucus because of the open-mindedness and dedication of the Congressman to the Ethiopians in his District.
There was a clear need to create a voice for Ethiopian Americans in the legislative process, and I was hired to exercise that potential. The Congressman wanted to create an institution that could maximize that potential, so there was a clear need for someone to develop this institution on a full time basis”, she said.
“The Caucus is an organization of Member of Congress who all believe that the Ethiopian American agenda is a priority, or that Ethiopia is a strategic ally in Africa. Members of this Caucus usually have a strong relationship with the Ethiopian community in their districts, or believe that Ethiopia can play a leading role in achieving peace and economic stability on the continent.”
Asked to name what she considers as the significant achievement of the Caucus, Mulugeta says: “The most significant achievements are passing language in Appropriations Bills on Ethiopia, and organizing a huge effort to recognize the Ethiopian Millennium. On Appropriation, Congressman Honda was able to pass language to encourage the Administration to fund development programs in Ethiopia that are led by Ethiopian Americans. He consistently advocates for the support of Ethiopian American NGOs because he believes that they should play a role in guiding US development policy toward Ethiopia.
On the Millennium, the Caucus was able to seize the moment by organizing a festival on the Hill and passing legislation that would draw attention to the development concerns of Ethiopia. The Caucus hosted a festival with live cultural performances, art exhibit, and food from the best Ethiopian restaurants in Washington DC.
It generated a crowd of over 500 people among whom were Members of Congress, USAID and State Department staff, NGO directors, grassroots leaders, diplomats, etc. It was a joyous occasion that drew a lot of attention, so the Caucus was able to promote its development priorities most effectively. Rep. Honda introduced a Resolution honoring the Millennium that passed a few months later.
This was significant because it was truly the work of several Ethiopian American organizations – the Caucus made a concerted effort to seek the input of community leaders across the country, and it was the first project that proved how strong the community can be when leaders cooperate with one another.”
And her personal role in this achievement?
“I was the lead staff on the Appropriations related to Ethiopia in my office. I also proposed and implemented the planning for the Millennium event on the Hill. And with the guidance and mentoring of Ted Dagne (CRS, Africa Policy Director), I helped to draft the Resolution. I thought that it would be much more meaningful to have the endorsement of several community organizations before seeking co-sponsorship.
Equipped with Capitol Hill experience and youthful zeal, Mulugeta has embarked onto her next challenge. “Most Ethiopians are registered to vote, but their responsibility to electing the new President does not end there…they will have to join the movement by registering their family members, their children, their friends at church or mosque. Our strength is in volunteering,” she reminds us. Mulugeta has joined the ranks of thousands of like-minded and optimistic young professionals who have answered Senator Barack Obama’s call for change.
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