Great job! This is what we need. Action. Action. More action. Thank you Ethiopians in Norway.

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Ethiopians in Norway formed Anti-Yara Award group

July 27, 2005
ethiopianreview.com

Concerned Ethiopians in Norway met yesterday and formed Anti-Yara Award Committee.

On July 19, Yara International announced its decision to award "US$200,000 (euro156,000) prize that promotes U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's call for a green revolution in Africa."

"After exchanging information about Yara, and the farm projects in Ethiopia on the extensive use of non-organic fertilizers and their consequences, and the political implications of the award, we decided to fight it in an organized and coordinated manner," Ato Ghidey Zeratsion told Ethiopian Review today.

The Anti-Yara Award Committee will gather academic, statistical and political data and information and compose them for lobbying and press. It will organize
and mobilize actions like demonstration. It will look for legal avenues where this case can be taken to court.

The committee will also coordinate its activities with other Ethiopians. It also seeks advice and support from Ethiopians all over the world.

The committee will release official press statement shortly.

This is a good. We will need to snuff out fire from all corners. As long as our commitment for freedom and democracy is there, the countdown for an end of Meles' regime will remain alive and ticking.

Email: balcha@yahoo.com

City: DC

I am glad to hear this news. We should support these heros and help them with every thing that they need in order to make their effort successful.

We should thank these responsible Ethiopians for their what they accomplished. Please let us know If we can lend our voice. We need to be united for the sake of democracy and freedom. It is time for all of us to do the right thing, and learn from Norway Ethiopians.

Email: mamuni@hotmail.com

City: Seattle

The Norway brothers are doing commendable job. We need to support them. However, both from strategic and science perspectives, I do not think it is prudent to attack non-organic fertilizers (if they have any plan to do so). The agricultural productivity failure in Ethiopia is not because of non-organic fertilizer application. It is from other socio-economic-political reasons. Care should be taken when they are presenting their case not to meddle in organic and non-organic fertilizers debate.

Any one who has read a news posted from an Ethiopian newspaper in Warka (www.cyberethiopia.com) under the title of "Asylum seekers will be deported"?

Please inform those ppl who are trying to destroy the name the good Ethiopian Ato Mistre Haileselassie of Switzerland. The truth about this good peson can be heard on last sudnay Ethiopia Voice of Sweden.

Listen here http://www.ethiopia.se/ram/voe.ram

And read about Ethiopian asylum seekers real struggel
from
http://www.ethioview.com/images/occasionals/switss/swiss.htm

http://www.ethioview.com/images/occasionals/switss/self.htm


Kiber Le Ethiopia and Ethiopians
Email: qoster@yahoo.com

Email: qoster@yahoo.com

I am so much proud of those people who devote thier time and energy to this cause.

GOD Bless you Guys God Bless Mr Ghidey Zeratsion.

Thanks! for standing for ethiopia.

AT

Email: ayalew03@hotmail.com

City: dallas

To all the Ethiopians in Norway,
Thank you for being the voice for the voiceless. I hope all the Ethiopians who live in Scandinavian countries join you.

This Yara Co. only cares for almighty dollar. To give an award to a person who just gunned down innocent, non-violent people has shown Yara’s disrespect for Ethiopian people.

Thanks again, I am proud of you.
God Bless you all.

What a wonderful plan. While half of the Ethiopians are starving the dictator is awarded. Where did the fertilizer go? Award at the grave of the Ethiopian People. I am thankful to Ethiopians in NORWAY. You are sharing the angush of our brothers and sisters at home.

Email: fekaduteshale@yahoo.com

A similar campaign should be formed in major cities around the world where there is a Norwegian Embassy. We should express our disgust for the company which has chosen to award a tyrannical merchant of hunger who have brough disaster and shame to a poor nation.

This is another excellent initiative of Ethiopians in Europe.

As professor Mesfin said in a recent interview, the only source of strength the Ethiopian regime has left is the support it gets from its North American and European sponsors. Now we all know that the regime does not have the support of the Ethiopian people.

If we succeed in eroding Meles' foreign support base, he will have no choice but to respect the wishes of the Ethiopian people. The best way this can be achieved is by continuing with the campaign like the one proposed by these brave Ethiopians.

We have to reach the average citizens of European and North American countries with reliable messages that show the many and true colours of the Meles' regime. If they have this information and learn that their tax money is being used to support a government that tortures and kills people, they will put pressure on their politicians to reconsider their view towards Meles.

Great job. We will cooperate you in every aspect possible. If Yara insists on the award, the name should be changed to "Commission". Tyranny leaders should under no circumstance be awarded.

Email: endrias2005@hotmail.com

City: Addis Ababa

Glad to hear that. That is a good beginning. I am a student here in norway. Ato ghiday would u paste ur address on the comment room? We need to reach as many people as we can. There are many proffessional ethios who have the expertise both in natural and social sciences. Hopefully with the help of them we can come up with a first-rate case for the group.

Email: kinmich@hotmail.com

City: oslo

That is fine. We all Ethiopians should always fight against any unfair and immoral decision on our people and country together.

Let God Bless us to decide ourselelvs on our issues with the people like others free nations in theworld.

That is my dream!!

Email: kuratekere@yahoo.com

City: Ambo

I am exteremely happy that there are concerned people everywhere in the world. The tyrants use any means to cheat the public. And at the back of them, there are the shareholders. And it is now time to stop these people.

It is really great Job Done

Email: mastmelese@yahoo.com

I am very happy when we Ethiopian fight meles.
this is what every body should do.
God bless you. And God bless our beloved country Ethiopia.

Email: solomon@yahoo.com

Relly wonderful! This is what is expected from true Ethiopians, God bless you.

Email: btworkie2003@yahoo.com

City: stuttgart

Thanking for the initiative, I strongly agree with the movement against the Yara Award!

We should push the Norway Govt. to come back to a fair thinking. Their decision in support of the dictator Melis means to cause a longlasting negative feelings and ... between the innocent people of Ethiopans and Norwegians. Since governments are always temporary, the people of Norway should not accept the decision made by their Governemnt. It will have a negative ultimate effect on ...
The people of Norway should push their Governemnt to rethink and come back to The Truth towards the real interest of Ethiopians.
Feyisa

Email: quitlaugh@yahoo.com

City: AA

For me it seems that the rebirth of our beloved country Ethiopia is coming. for one reason or another Ethiopian elite were not listening to each other and made use of their extraordinary capability to help their country. but now this becomes history and every intellectual Ethiopians all over the globe are starting to share ideas, respect each other and feel the pain that their helpless father, mother, sister and brother are feeling each day and night. I would like to thank you for your noble idea to fight the nonsense yara.

Email: absam20032001@yahoo.com

City: Tromsø

There are thousands of reasons to mention to accuse Yara foundation in legal courts for its involvement the nation conspiracy act with meles Naziawi. Multi nationals and many western politicians have very limited ideas about us while we know everything about them. They think all the Ethiopian people are the same as they like to watching us while starving in front of the international media screens. They have no idea how we God loving, educated, determined, competent, honest, proud and in general the symbol of good human being are. Because of their direct and indirect involvement we became materially poor. But they don't know, our material gain is far behind from the important of our activities as the true human beings. We didn’t born to be rich with material and empty from our soul as we are witnessing people from the material world with their action against themselves and others. Our satisfaction comes not from having human made material benefits but it is in us doing the right thing that have positive results to others, too. We are people prefer to die right now for the right cause.
The true reflection of Ethiopian is on spot line Norway by brave Ethiopian doing the right thing for the right cause.
All Ethiopian have seen and learnt a lot after 15 may election about western politics, institutions and companies concerning democracy and the people’s benefit. When they directly supported the way the Lara foundation is doing, indirectly assisting Tyrant meles regime or keeping silent while the Ethiopian people is crying for help, I became in conclusion that the Ethiopian people first and for most must take their matters on their hand. Every one must prepare to do every positive action on his or her level to save our country from the mouth of lions, tigers and dogs (TPLF). The international communities are assisting the dogs to keep the herd mentioning the leftover after the lions and the tigers took their share from the death of the herd.
Ethiopians in Ethiopia who have true statistic data about hunger, deforestation, aids, erosion, the true nature of the farming community, death and etc have to send these documents to these brave Ethiopians in Norway. All Ethiopian have to support them to disgrace the multinationals that have very cruel history supporting criminal leaders as they are doing with meles. Telling the truth about meles Zenawi to legal institutions such as media groups also could be the best way to reach the ordinary Norway and international people about meles zenawi and the conspiracy of US and EU leaders and representatives against the Ethiopia people. We all have to show them our determination that no one has the right to impose a tyranny over the Ethiopian people to starve them in front of the world. It seams to me that the western world is afraid if Ethiopia gets good leaders the wouldn't see starving black people and as the result they wouldn't get reason further to undermine black people. We have to understand that Ethiopia is their prime target to these inhuman act as the country is the symbol of all black people with her long history.
God bless Ethiopia and her over 70 million children. God help Ethiopians wherever they are with their effort bringing democracy and good life in Ethiopia. God help Ethiopians in Norway with their brave work against the 72 million Ethiopians enemy who is getting rewards for his crime. God punish the enemy of the truth, peace, prosperity, love, unity and earth. God punish those who are working hard to benefit themselves from the destruction, loss, pain and death of others. I sure those Ethiopians in Norway will win their case against the Lara foundation financed by the multinational company to keep its market with billions of dollars profit. We are with you. Don't retreat or afraid. The truth is always the winner. Until you reached there, don't hesitate of stop.

Email: Tolosa@hotmail.com

What a wonderful action!!!I am proud of YOU.

Email: mirkanataye@yahoo.com

City: Nairobi

Congratulations for taking concrete action. If there is anything we can do to help, please get in touch with the Network of Ethiopian Scholars(NES).

Email: mammo@ihis.aau.dk

City: Aalborg, Denmark

We Ethiopians living in Norway are now trying to exposed yara and other shareholders to the world community by any legal means. We are organising different bodies to present the case and exposed the tyranny to the peace loving word community. We need help from Ethiopians in Diaspora to vow against the Norwegian yara. The Norwegian government has more than 36% shares from yara . Yesterday also the government of Norway is decided to send back 400 Ethiopian refuges to Ethiopia. We have to condemn this evil act in front of the Norwegian embassy all over the world.

Email: engiada@chello.no

City: norway,Oslo

Ethiopians in Norway,
You are the true Ethiopians. We are thinking of you. Stay strong on your struggle to get justice. Thank you.


Kebede Ali,
Do you really want to see a real looser, a disgrace and an embracement to Ethiopia? Look in the mirror.

Would anyone explain what we are aginst. The issue paper suggests that the project has a serious political consequences. What are these consequences. It also mentions about lobbists. Who are they? Would some one be kind enough to enlighten me? A cross reference to the subject would also be most helpful. Thanks.

City: Paris

Ohhhhhh! THANK YOU OUR REAL ETHIOPIAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN NORWAY! Please keep on doing what needs to be done. All Ethiopians around the world stand on your side.

The major problem we had before was that we just run away from our problems, or we just talk it off. But now, we shouldn’t let any one to play dumb-game on us. We, Ethiopians, are the only ones who know what is really happening in Ethiopia; and it is our responsibility to let others know and to make every effort to pay the blood of our young brothers and sisters.

I think Ethiopians in other parts of the world should also support our brothers and sisters in Norway by holding demonstrations at the Norway embassy in all over the world.

Once again, Thank You Ethiopian brothers and sisters in Norway.

Email: seife@hotmail.com

THE ETHIOPIAN WILL PROUDE OF YOUR THOUGHTFULNESS!!!
BELIEVE ME TRUTH WILL MAKE YOU VICTORIES.
INADVANCE I CONGRATULATE YOURS AND THE ETHIOPIANS ON THE PREDICTABLE VICTORY OVER THE REWARD OF BLOOD.

Email: yedi_eternal@shaw.ca

City: winnipeg

Kudos

Great Job


Excellent way to fight back!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Email: nls1_1@yahoo.com

Bravo Ethiopians in Norway,

That is an excellent. Yara gave Meles 200k not for a prize BUT A BRIBE. A BRIBE so that they can sell their product. Meles received or may be have been receiving other BRIBE to sell their fertilizer to Ethiopian farmers by force.

We all are against this BRIBE.

Nestanet

Email: ymoges@msn.com

City: Atlanta

Good job
I am curious to find out if non-organic fertilizers are being delivered to the Tigrie region or if this wicked act is reserved for the rest of the country? Let us not forget if Tigrie is omitted there is no sincerity in the act. The whole game hinges on a place of return for the prime minister, when his party is the opposition. What amazes me is why an en-lightened society as that of Norway is not creating an uproar over the sale of non-organic fertilizer.Is it not banned in Norway? After all Norway is one of the environmentally friendly nations.It is strange they failed to see the crime against the Ethiopian people. They have been the supporters of the Ethiopian people.What happened? Maybe their argument is that because the produce from these farms will never reach Norway so why bother.
As for prime minister Meles, according to the Greek Gods, "Pride comes before a fall!"

City: New york

This is an e-mail I got from a friend, enjoy reading it.

Dear Sir/Madam,

Like many Ethiopians and Ethiopia watchers around the world, I read with amazement your decision to award the "African Green Revolution Prize" to Mr. Meles Zenawi "for his contribution to improved food security and human nutrition....".

I am not an expert in agricultural economics nor a policitcal activist of any stripe nor did I know about your organization until I read reports of this "award". I therefore in honest curiousity visited your website to find out more. I read your press release on this matter and other general information about your company.

Due to my training and vocation, I know a few things about economics and the world of finance. As a diaspora Ethiopian, I also keep abreast of developments in that country, especially on issues relevant to economic acitivty, poverty and disease. More recently, I have also become a big fan of Professor Sachs and his tireless work to open up the eyes and coffers of the rich world to support countries like Ethiopia break out of the "poverty trap". I have also read and re-read his work in an attempt to fully grasp his "clinical economics" approach to understanding the "poverty trap" and the journey towards beating it.

Professor Sachs works, especially his book "The end of Poverty" has educated me (and doubtless many others around the world) immensely on the various facets of tangible barriers facing the poor world, and the role that can and should be played by governments and people in that world and also the rich world, to once and for all break the "poverty trap". I also know that he has travelled to Ethiopia several times and spent valuable time in trying to understand the root causes of it's extreme poverty and attempting to help chart a course leading to the reduction and eventual eradication of it.

I am not certain about the nature and extent of the relationship of Professor Sachs with your organization, but I was told that his respected voice was added to this "award" to Mr. Meles. This note is therefore directed to him as well as to your organization.

I have not seen first hand the details of the latest statistics that has proven to your organization the arithmetic growth in food production and environmental protection in Ethiopia. However, over the years I have heard and read about it from Ethiopian government sources including their oft repeated declarations about "focusing development on the rural sector...etc". I will not go as far as saying the arithmetic is totally untrue, but for a number of obvious reasons, it does smack of "soviet style statistics".

While I am not always privy to the self-validated statistics generated by the Ethiopian government, like millions of people around the world, I am privy to the public information generated by credible world bodies and the government of Mr. Meles Zenawi itself that 9 million people face hunger in Ethiopia this year, that the number was 14 million a year or two ago, that millions more continue to suffer from Malaria and HIV/AIDS, and that in spite of some of the positive sounding stats, self-validated declarations of progress by the state and the "expedient and unscrupulous" positive press by some foreign sources, there still is not a clear path set in the country to break this cycle of massive poverty, hunger and disease.

I also know first hand that agriculture in Ethiopia is: devoid of private property rights, meaningful land reform, entirely based on tenancy to the state, entirely rain dependent, characterized by dwindling farming plots for each successive farming generation ; in essence laden with the all the ingredients that negate meaningful increase in productivity per capita and the resulting reduciton in poverty.

I visit Ethiopia on a regular basis and spend time not with government bureaucrats whose livelihood depends upon positive spins on the state's efforts in this field, or visiting sites carefully selected by them to show the "courageous and promising" work by "enterprising farmers" assisted by "extension porgarms". I spend time with ordinary people in unofficial and honest discussion on their current situation, their despairs, hopes and dreams.

The fact is that life for Ethiopians especially those in rural areas (who as you know are the vast majoirity of the population) is still extremely horrendous in every aspect, with not much to hope for either. Denied their "human right" for private property and indvidual liberty, they continue to toil the ever degraded soil (I am sure you don't really believe that Yara is fertilizing vast tracts that will change yield and life for significant numbers), ever dependent on rain, dwindling farm plots; and most of all as tenants of the state, ever devoid of the means and motivation to increase productivity, investment, soil protection, shift to urban life ...etc.

It is true that there have been many "encouraging signs of progress" since Mr. Zenawi came to power 14 long years ago. It is also true that his government has made repeated proclamations of liberalizing the economy...etc. In fact it is also true that some sectors of the economy including overall agriclutral output have in intermittent years shown positive arithmetic growth. However all of these are merely "signs" and more often declarations and self-validated statistics than fact. Some of the "real" progress has also mostly been in stuttering short lived spurts that seem to always be wiped out the next year mainly because there is no real change in the underlying fundamental structure and governance of the economy. If people were to shake off their expedient and unscrupoulous googles, what meets the eye is the same exterme poverty with no meaningful signs of abatement across the country.

Mr. Meles' 14 years record is a record of catastrophic failure to bring about meanigful economic development & good governance. Millions continue to depend on food aid every year including this year (the year of his "Yara award") and millions continue to suffer and die from preventable disease. The regime's public record on the rule of law and human rights is also horrendous by any measure.

To top it all, having seized power by the barrell of the gun 14 years ago, Mr. Zenawi finally decided to legitmize his rule by holding free elections last May. We all know what happened with the "free election". In the face of massive losses at the polls and accusations of mass vote rigging in places where Mr. Zenawi's party candidates were declared winners (note that nearly all those constituencies were rural thus devoid of any foreign obeserver presence, while his party lost in nearly all urban constituencies where observers were present), Mr. Zenawi publicly declared he has taken personal control of the security forces and ordered the mass murder of student protesters in the streets of Addis Ababa. As I write this note, the scandalous elections are still being "investigated" by a panel led by Mr. Meles' handpicked election board and a smattering of foreign observers.

You must also remember that although it doesn't always get as much press, there have been similar murders of dozens of student protestors and opposition activists in that country every few years since Mr Meles took power in 1991. The detestible human rights violations directly perpetrated by Mr. Meles' regime have also been extensively documented every single year since 1991 by nearly all international human rights organizations and the US State department. All of these reports are in the public domain.

I don't beleive that Mr. Meles is intentionally impoverishing the country nor do I deny some of the positive "signs" of progress especailly as compared to the completely lost 17 years under the regime before him. However, during their 14 year rule, in spite of tiresome public declarations geared towards the expediently favourable ears of western governments and institutions, he and his regime have shown neither the capability nor the true commitment to sustainable economic growth and liberal democarcy. This is clearly because that path requires plurality in politics and individual liberty in both the economic and social arena; all of whom are a direct recipie for the loss of political power by Mr. Meles. All their policies and actions of the past 14 years show that Mr. Meles and his party are convinced that they must perennially stay in power at any cost. Their 14 year record makes it starkly clear that they are inalterably convinced that the only way to do that is with a combination of domestic political repression and denial of private property rights (whose state control automatically makes the population subservient) and public declarations of commitment to liberal economy and democracy for the expedient and unscrupulous ears of the world.

Undeniably, not all is always lost under despotic rulers. Even Stalin, Hitler and Saddam Hussein have registred favourable arithmetic and "economic growth" under their brutal regimes (although they have not received international awards for them). Even if we were to believe the positive arithmetic you seem to have used in your evaluation of Mr. Meles' record, how are we to reconcile "his contribution to food security and human nutrition" with 9 million hungry mouths in 2005 (especially when it's clear his regime's failed land policy has a major hand in it), the unabated internationally documented massive human rights abuses and assaults on the rule of law, the murder of dozens of unarmed demonstrators and the incarceration of 4000 people only a month ago, the unabated overall abject poverty and massive disease endemic in the country ?

There may be some who say that a token award from a company with close commercial relations with the regime doesn't really matter. However, I believe that every voice that is raised in defence of injustice and espeically in rewarding tyranny and the wilful depravation of the livelihood of millions; is an affront to the human conscience and above all a brutal assault on the already devastated souls of the millions of victims of Mr. Meles' misguided policies and merciless guns.

Gedeon Sharew
Toronto, Canada

Go blesss Ethiopians!!!

Yes, indeed, our brothers and sisters in Norway have paved the way to other brothers and sisters of millions of Ethiopians to openly conddomn and denounce the clandestine activities of that fascist Meles Naziawi to lure the world commuinity into being cheated by way of a fake and illegal reward that he was to be awarded from a firm that seeing the future of making millions of dollars from Meles Naziawi's business deal.

Under Meles Naziawi, seventy million Ethiopians have been suppressed and opperesed and more and more Ethiopians, including farmers and other citizens have been subjeced to hunger and disease.

Not only this, very recently schoolgirls ,schoollboys,
and university students have been murdered by the devil and fascist Meles Naziawi's beasts;so, if this banda is to awarded even a small thing, is just enocouraging other African leaders to be brutal and murderers so that they will get a prize for their action.

We Ethiopians definitely continue to fight the fascist regime until we free Ethiopian and Ethiopians.

Email: gderassa@sympatico.ca

City: Ottwa

Thanks Serdo B. Bere for anwering the question what the subject of discussion is about.

There are ample examples that show how the introduction chemical ferilizer has screwed farming in Africa, e.g., Uganda, Kenya and Malwi. Under pressure by the World Bank and big chemical companies in the late 1960s, farmers were forced to give up their traditional way of keeping the soil fertile. In Uganda, good intentioned British scientiests in the 1990s reintroduced the old farming tradion such organic farming and crop rotatation (nitrogen fixation), as more cost effective than chemical fertilizer. They proved to the farmers that not all old ideas are bad ideasway.

City: Paris

The anti-YARA Award is timely and a justifiable move on the grounds of (a) fighting corporate greed (b) ensuring local participation in an effort to secure sustainable development- at the crux of whic is inter-generational use of the environment, and (c) send a strong message that high level disguise corruption, in this case a ‘bribe’ by a well known Fertilizer Company to the PM, is indeed an appalling and shameful act and needs to be unveiled.

For a better engagement,I would appreciate if one can enlighten me on the Award (how it was stated, by whom, its mission etc)

Email: tesbis@tiscali.co.uk

City: GGO

Do any one belive a bloddy dictator goverment should have an award? please we are humanbeings we need to think.

M-konjo

Email: medikonjo.yahoo.com