To fenkel@asmarino.com

I am writing in response to the article of 8/3/98 from fenkle titled "the manifesto of the TPLF on Republic of Greater Tigrai"

Title The infantile disorder fabrication of Eriteran regime and its cliques

Purpose: To clarify the fabrication and lies, and expose the on going assassination of

Facts, to get public sympathy should not leave unnoticed.

The wicked approach of the article is a typical Eriteran ploy. As a matter of principle I usually refrain from responding to such garbage. However, I made an exception and decided to respond to fenkle and its associates. Because the article contained a great deal of misinformation and tried to confuse the people who are trying to find the truth why Eritrea invaded Ethiopia. This kind of lie and misinformation should not be left unexposed.

The crazy Eriteran regime’s mission is to destabilize the horn of Africa. Its brutal invasion of Ethiopia, and aggression towards the Sudan, Yemen, and Djibouti is compelling evidence. The fenkle article glorified the Eriteran regime which continued to defy the rule of international law, rejected the peaceful resolution proposed by the OAU, United Nations’ and Rwanda and the United Sates.

The aggression pattern reveals EPLF’s expansionist policy and this will lead them to their own distraction. You and other Eriterans who believe like your dictator leader that the invaded Ethiopian territories belong to Eritrea need a dosage of history and sanity. You are drunk with your expansionist policy and far removed from reality. Your facts are based on the Italian fascist colonizing doctrine. Your leader, the Black Mussolini, Isayas Afewerki is trying to accomplish in 1998 what Venito Mussolini could not in 1938.

I saw the manners and decorum through Eriteran social life a combination of arrogance lack of restraint and irresponsible individualism that jeopardize the formation of a stable and functioning society. The leadership provides false promise and is occupied in militarizing the Eritrean people.

Many of us were not aware of a serious border dispute in 1993 when Eritrea seceded from Ethiopia.

1. What is the cause of the Ethio-Eriteran boarder dispute?

2. What is the present conflict about?

· The boundary between Eritrea and Ethiopia is well defined. There should not be any reason.

· Until the invasion started no Eriteran government had ever questioned Ethiopia’s jurisdiction. The Eritrea regime brushed aside all Ethiopia’s evidence, failed to prove its claims, resorted to military force to implement its expansionist policy. This action is culminating in a massive attack on peace loving people of Ethiopia.

Ethiopia refuted Eritrea’s claims with massive evidence pertaining to historic facts. Eritrea has based its claims on nothing but mere assertion of their colonial master’s territorial ambition. Still the Government of Ethiopia requests the government of Eritrea to stop the naked aggression and to withdraw peacefully from invaded and occupied Ethiopian territories. The peaceful withdrawal will provide an opportunity to talk in a civilized manner to reduce tensions and seek permanent resolution.

In retrospect, Eritrea aggression against Ethiopia appears to have been planned by ELF during its inception. The Eritrea surreptitious intrusion into Ethiopian territory had started in the early 1970s by ELF and became more extensive since then. Despite this unprovoked attack, and what the Eritrea authorities were secretly planning, Ethiopia continued to reason with Eritrea to persuade it to withdraw its troops peacefully.

Let us briefly review Shabia’s and its associates’ idiocy, the idea of Greater Tigrai. The Eriteran leadership strategy appears to have aimed at bullying the neighboring countries and simultaneously lulling Ethiopia into a sense of complacency.

This game will continue until Ethiopia challenges the Shabia. The recent news show that the Shabia is pursuing a policy of pinpricks and subversion in respect of the very countries whom helped them to get where they are now. The Eriteran regime has a problem dealing with their troublesome emotions, diminished expectations and lost dreams. They are creating grandeur profile: unattainable imaginary greater Eritrea. The Shabia believed that their greatest obstacle to achieve their imaginary Greater Eritrea are the Tigrayans. To solve this problem, they are using the old trick to divide one people and turning them against each other within Ethiopia: Amhara against Tigrayan and to supporting OLF to secede from Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian people have never been fooled and will never believe the idea of Greater Tigray concocted by Shabia. The Shabia is wasting their country’s resource pursing a sick dream like Siad Barrie, former dictator of Somalia and their effort will have the same consequence. Shabia became jealous of Ethiopia’s developing infrastructure, growing healthy economy, and imposed unfair trade practice to plunder Ethiopia’s resources and limit its growth rate.

Everything was okay when they pretend to be coffee producing country exporting plundered Ethiopian coffee and using Ethiopian Birr as their currency. This imposed huge economic burden on Ethiopia. The rage started when Ethiopia took action to protect its economic interest. The shabby economy plan and the creation of weak Eritrea Nakfa (currency) and its inflated exchange rate amplified the crisis. Ethiopia refused to accept one Nakfa for one Ethiopian Birr. This action diminished the value of Eritrean commodities in the Ethiopian market, hence heightened the Eritrean economic crisis.

Ethiopia further took additional economic action and stopped using the Assab oil refinery plant and began importing already refined oil. Eritera lost about six figures US dollars a year due to this action alone. Price of Ethiopian agricultural products in Eritrea soared from time to time. Ethiopia evaluated its trade policy with Eritrea and issued a similar policy it has with other neighboring countries. This action eliminated the unfair trade policy Eritrea enjoyed at the expense of Ethiopia.

Due to the shabby economic planning, diversion of scare resources to military instead of economic development, Shabia realized they are in deep trouble. To hide the truth and divert the Eritrea people’s attention, they invaded Ethiopia and declared war.

These are the backgrounds of the Eritrean invasion. Shabia feeds on misinforming individuals like John Rude and groups like fenkle to hide its true fascist policy. Perhaps Eritrea is surviving with alms provided by some Arab countries that are hostile to Ethiopia. All the mambo jambo scenario and assertion are completely lie that does not have a single iota of truth, the usual Eriteran regime ill will.

I must now summarize the main points fenkel used to misinform the people who want to understand the true cause of the invasion. The manifesto of the TPLF- Greater Tigray, Black Mussolini’s vision of Expanded Eritrea, inciting war in Ethiopia to weaken its peoples’ unity, etc., are wild and fascist’s dream. Ethiopia and other peace loving African neighboring countries will never allow Isayas Afewerki to be Sadam of the Horn of Africa. Shabia regime is pushing his people to the edge of cliff. I regret to say that I have been forced to the conclusion that the Eriteran authorities and their cliques cannot be relied upon.