Does any body know how ION finds inside information both in the EPRDF and CUD? Is it true ION is funded by the French intelegince agencies? Whether fiction or fact-based, this is an interesting read:

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Ethiopia: Both sides dig their heels in

Indian Ocean Newsletter
July 2nd 2005

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is biding his time waiting for the opposition to split and end up accepting the election results giving a comfortable parliamentary majority to the EPRDF governing coalition. The discreet calls by certain western countries to hold a conference of all the Ethiopian political parties and set up a coalition government comprising the EPRDF and the main opposition forces would not seem to have convinced the government side.

Arched back. Meles Zenawi may certainly have given foreign diplomats the impression that he is open to the idea of a government in coalition with certain opposition leaders (ION 1140). However, resistance inside the EPRDF is far too strong for him to take the slightest initiative in this sense. The hardliners in the government camp are to be found among the losers in the 15 May election, such as the Minister for Information Bereket Simeon or the leader of the OPDO, Jineddin Sado, and also Sebhat Nega. Meles Zenawi himself is maintaining an aggressive line against the opposition, as is shown by his reply on 28 June to a letter sent him on 20 June by thirteen members of the United States Congress concerned about the situation in Ethiopia. In his reply, he accused the opposition of having tried to use the elections to stir up an "orange" revolution as in Ukraine and defended the repression ("in a firm but restrained and legal manner") of the opponents on 8 June. In the long term, the Ethiopian Prime Minister is banking on the opposition fragmenting and seems convinced that time is playing in his favour. To be sure, after the first period of turmoil, the majority of the opposition is coming round to accepting the election results presented by the National Electoral Board giving a large parliamentary majority to the EPRDF.

The opposition divided. The Prime Minister's gamble is far from absurd, for a substantial portion of the leaders of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) seem to be prepared to accept sharing power with the regime in one form or another. This stance is particularly driven by Berhanu Nega. During his recent visit to Brussels, he told expatriate Ethiopians "do not push to radicalise us. We want to work with the EPRDF". He has good relations with Bereket Simeon and has an echo in the United States, through Berahnu Mewa and Kiflu Tadesse. The radical stance of Hailu Shawel and Lidetu Ayalew (who want the regime to accept its election defeat) seems to be in a minority within the CUD. In fact, Lidetu Ayalew resigned from his post of spokesman of the CUD and his replacement, Hailu Araya (a Tigrayan) is notably a moderate. Within the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF, opposition), Beyene Petros is for the time being going it alone, stating that he wants to take up his seat as MP at any price whereas the grassroots activists seem to be more radical. However, in the UEDF as in the CUD, political realignments are to be expected in the coming weeks or months. The Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) would, for its part, probably be prepared to take part in a national conference of all the parties and in a coalition government alongside the EPRDF, on the condition that new elections are held in the near future. But the OLF is staunchly attached to the ethnic regionalisation introduced by the EPRDF and on this issue is opposed to the CUD, which wants to go back on this reform.

Internal mediation. In addition to the diplomatic moves intended to find a peaceful solution the post-election crisis, internal mediation is at work between the EPRDF and the opposition. A committee of intellectuals has been set up for this purpose. In addition to the controversial founder of the Inter Africa Group, Abdul Mohamed Ababora, this committee comprises Kostentinos Berhe (a Tigrayan, close to the wife of Mesfin Welde Mariam), Berhane Gebrai (a Tigrayan who works at the ACP in Brussels), Bahru Zewde (an academic) and Netsanet Mengistu. The latter was a minister in the transition government but had been relieved of her functions a decade ago for having insisted that Eritrea pays for the coffee it imports from Ethiopia in dollars rather than in birrs.

oh man, yeah, its interesting, but better to be cautious. Can you plz plz post the link. Thanx.

Yeah! didnt I say Berhanu Nega is an opportunist? All he wanted is the postion of Dr, Mulu Kessela who soon will be moving to the World bank.All the talk about Berket is a devil and Meles is an angel is all crap.

Tatari,

ION get inside informations and spculations from different sources in government and private.I suspect the current info to come from Endrias (Debtraw)

I think we have Woyane hidden agents here. Stop insulting Dr. Berhanu. People have voted for him and elected him investing their free will in him as their representative. Who are you to question the will of the people of Addis? Now about a possible provisional government of unity of all parties that is going to prepare a national free/fair eelction in the near future? What is wrong that? Ok children, grow up!!! There are two outcomes acceptable to the Ethiopian people in the current situation - a government of the opposition or a provisional unity government assigned with the task of holding a new national election. That is all. YICHALAL!

Call me naïve, if you wish; I thought Ato. Iyassu Alemayehu of EPRP works for ION paper as Ethiopian special correspondent. I don’t have any hard evidence nor do I have a personal knowledge of it. There has been a consensus among his peers or detractors that Iyassu works for ION. If you have noticed, there is no byline every time an article about Ethiopia appears at ION pages. Am I wrong?