Mesfin Mekonen, Kinijit/AEUP International Foreign Relations  
February 26, 2009
Here in Washington, DC the stimulus bill is now finished and enacted. Now let’s focus on Ethiopia! There have been many stories coming out of Ethiopia and many are not good ones. It is essential to continue to campaign for passage and enactment of The Ethiopia Human rights and Democracy Act. We need to cross the goal line this year. Persistence will pay off for us as we have already gotten a favorable response from Congress. Let’s keep pushing by contacting your Congressional representatives. Especially House International Relations Committee members of the Africa subcommittee led by chairman Congressman Donald Payne (D-NJ) and ranking member Chris Smith (R-NJ). You can find the contact information on this Web site:

http://www.internationalrelations.house.gov/subcommittees.asp?committee=2

You will soon be hearing of the spreading famine back in Ethiopia. Like all famines this one is too a manmade event orchestrated by the governing regime. Meles has some answering to do.

According to the United Nations close to six million Ethiopians face starvation now. We cannot turn our attention away from this looming tragedy. The hydroelectric/irrigation project that we in the All Ethiopian Unity Party (AEUP) have suggested for Blue Nile and Awash rivers could be quite helpful in alleviating this problem. We have drawn wide support for this proposal in the United States Congress. Please include a mention of this in all contacts with the United States government.

Recently President of the AEUP, Hailu Shawel was visited at his office in Addis Ababa by a US diplomat, the chief of the Political/Economic Section at the Embassy in Addis Ababa --Michael Gonzales. Mr. Gonzales spoke with President Hailu Shawel who told about the essential need for an independent Election Board in order to ensure free and fair elections. The eight points that the AEUP have required for political progress in Ethiopia were restated. Gonzales agreed that the new Obama administration will take a fresh look at United States policy towar d Ethiopia and how democracy in Ethiopia would strengthen the relationship with the United States.

An Ethiopian-American meeting is planned in Seattle, WA as called for by Vice-President Abayneh Berhanu and Dr. Taye Woldesmayat. The meeting will take place on Sunday, March 8th at 2:00 PDT at The Garfield Community Center 2323 East Cherry Street Seattle, WA 98122. The meeting will discuss a wide range of topics of interest including AEUP struggle for peace and development in Ethiopia.

The Sunday radio show here in Washington continues to get a lot of interest from the community. It will be directly available from our Web site soon!

This week we will have again another special guest from Ethiopia live on the air. Tune in and listen to the Voice of Kinijit All Ethiopia Unity Party radio will be on the air again in Washington on WZHF 1390-am at the usual hour of 11:30 am EST on Sunday's and find out just who it is.

All our efforts are designed to create Unity amongst us so that with the nation’s help and god willing we will create a new and better Ethiopia for all. Unity is our watchword. We need to focus on the program of the All Ethiopian Unity Party (AEUP) in order to achieve this. Let’s join in on this mission and see that it is accomplished.