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6/10/07, Namrud Berhane On Tuesday the US House of Representatives passed a bill - H.R. 2003 (Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act of 2007) - which relates to the "[facilitation] of peace and security, respect for human rights, democracy, and economic freedom in Ethiopia." The bill also outlines what US policy should be with regard to the provision of assistance, and proposes the imposition of restrictions if the government of Ethiopia "obstructs" the United States' efforts to advance human rights, democracy, independence of the judiciary and freedom of the press. "Nonessential United States assistance shall not be made available to the Government of Ethiopia if the Government of Ethiopia acts to obstruct United States technical assistance to advance human rights, democracy, independence of the judiciary, freedom of the press, economic development and economic freedom in Ethiopia," the bill states. This restriction, however, does not include humanitarian assistance, food aid, health aid and assistance to combat HIV/AIDS, peacekeeping and counter-terrorism assistance, according to the bill. The bill also calls for visa restrictions on government officials, security personnel and individuals who with credible evidence have been found to be involved in gross violations of human rights. The bill includes a provision that allows President Bush to waive the restrictions if he decides to do so. Ethiopia's ambassador in the US, Samuel Assefa issued a strong reaction to the Act which awaits the Senate's approval to become law. Samuel characterized the bill as "irresponsible" and warned that if enacted it would "create fresh obstacles to Ethiopia's bold efforts towards comprehensive democratic reforms, [and] also would undermine regional stability in the Horn of Africa by jeopardizing vital security cooperation between the United States and Ethiopia. Samuel was also very critical of US Congressman Donald Payne and others who pushed for the enactment of the bill. "Mr. Payne and his allies seek nothing less than a realignment of U.S. interests in Africa. Mr. Payne made this clear in a recent press release in which he accused Ethiopia -- against all evidence and common sense -- of being 'a source of instability in the region.'" Samuel added: "The fact is that the entire region faces a serious threat from Eritrea -- a country that the U.S. Department of State is considering listing as a state sponsor of terrorism, and that has rejected the core institutions of legal opposition parties and a private press, officially banning both, and also outlawed worship by minority religious denominations." According to some observers the bill seems to have also put the Bush administration and lawmakers in an uneasy situation, as the former sees the Act as "misguided" and an "encroachment on its powers." US Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer, during her testimony to the House Sub-Committee for African Affairs said: "The United States has persistently pressed all sides to remain engaged with legal and constitutional approaches to advance Ethiopia's democracy. With US encouragement, the ruling and opposition parties engaged in a dialogue process that resulted in agreements to tackle some of the challenging dilemmas facing Ethiopia's democracy." "These include reform of the National Electoral Board, joint government-opposition missions to investigate human rights concerns in Oromiya, revising the media law and parliamentary rules of procedure, and establishing a code of conduct for the press," Frazer added. These, Frazer told the committee chaired by Congressman Payne, were steps unprecedented in Ethiopia and represent a monumental advancement in the political environment. This week the sub-committee also heard the testimonies of Ethiopian opposition leaders Dr. Berhanu Nega and Birtukan Mideksa. "Mr. Chairman: I find it somewhat difficult to tell you and this Committee about human rights abuses and remedial actions to improve the human rights condition there. You have spent over two years studying the human rights situation in Ethiopia. You have come to Ethiopia time and again to take a first hand look, and to talk to political leaders in the government and the opposition, human rights advocates and civic society leaders and ordinary people. You have reviewed the reports and analysis of the numerous international human rights organizations on human rights conditions in Ethiopia. In my view, there are few individuals or institutions more familiar with the human rights situation in Ethiopia today than the Chair and members of this Committee," Birtukan said. "All I can say today is highlight the incontrovertible facts about human rights in Ethiopia. It is well known that the current regime has sought to put up a façade of commitment to human and democratic rights. But its practices contravene all of its obligations under the Ethiopian constitution and the human rights conventions that bind Ethiopia," she added. "More recently, Ethiopia is again in the news concerning the conflict and the horrific human rights abuse perpetrated by the government on its own people in the Ogaden region. Our heart bleeds for those civilian compatriots who are the most recent victims of this ongoing conflict in our country and we condemn this barbarity in the strongest possible terms. But, I am afraid the Ogaden is but one manifestation of the escalation of conflict in various parts of the country largely owing to the refusal of the government to address the political problems of the country in a peaceful and civilized manner." Ambassador Samuel in his statement argued that the very presence at the House Sub-Committed, of the two opposition leaders who were released from prison was an indication of the Ethiopian government's "resolve to reinvigorate the democratic process," and expressed his dismay that it had not been noticed. "This view is nonsense, and this legislation simply is not consistent with the responsible, reflective action of a legislature weighing U.S. interests around the world. Instead this is legislation favored by regional and domestic political activists who have chosen to use the U.S. Congress in support of a partisan Ethiopian political agenda. It is baffling that the House would allow itself to be used in this way." The Act must now be passed in the Senate and then signed by President George W. Bush to become a law. The president has a veto power to prevent the Act from passing. Here in Ethiopia, advisor to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, Bereket Simon also expressed his anger at the passing of the bill in Congress. "It has nothing to do with democracy, it has nothing to do with human rights, this is a matter of personal vendetta and definitely that is not going to work," Bereket said during an interview with the VOA. "This is a sovereign country, a country which has never bowed to any foreign aggression or foreign force. We assure these guys, these congressmen, that that is not going to blackmail Ethiopia in any form
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