Text of report in English by pro-Ethiopian government Walta Information Centre web site on 27 February

Addis Ababa, 27 February: A diplomat with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the report that appeared in the press alleging that the "Djibouti president calls upon Ethiopia to withdraw its troops from Somalia" was strange and disturbing to the government of Ethiopia.

Al-Hayat and other newspapers in their 22 February 2001 issues reported that President Ismael Omar Guelleh told a press conference in Asmara that "we (Djibouti) requested the Ethiopians to pull out their troops from Somalia and there are positive developments in this regard."

The director for neighbouring and Nile riparian countries with the ministry told ENA [Ethiopian News Agency] yesterday that "if the report in the news papers was true, it would be very odd and unusual to us."

"As far as we know, it is only the Transitional Government [of Somalia] (TG) of Abdiqasim Salad Hasan that accuses Ethiopia of positioning its army in Somalia," the director said.

The diplomat said the TG itself was forced to declare that Ethiopia has pulled out its troops from Somalia as it could not substantiate its baseless and unfounded accusations of Ethiopian army's presence in that country.

Since there is no any pressing reason to deploy troops in Somalia, Ethiopia has not positioned its army in that country, he said.

The allegation that appeared in Al-Hayat and other press reports was a bizarre plot as Ethiopia has neither deployed nor withdrawn any army from Somalia, the diplomat said.

He said, "to the best of our knowledge, Djibouti position is that the Arta reconciliation conference has succeeded in establishing the TG and hence any misunderstanding between the TG and other countries should be the sole internal matter of the Somalis."

He said, "we expect that the government of Djibouti would refute such kind of press reports if it were reported misquoting the president."

Asked what prompted the Arta faction to libel such an accusation against Ethiopia, the director said in its seven months mere existence the faction has failed to extend its influence outside from the Mogadisuh Hotel where it is currently stationed, adding that the faction preferred to make Ethiopia a scapegoat for its internal crisis and incompetence to manage its own affairs.

The diplomat said by lodging fabricated accusations against Ethiopia, the TG witlessly considered that it could easily mobilize diplomatic, material and financial support from some parties.

However, he said, such miscalculations have backfired on the very existence of the Arta faction.

Asked Ethiopia's vision of the future Somalia, the director said his country is very keen to see a united, peaceful and stable Somalia, which is governed by a broad-based government accepted by all Somalis.

No party can deny or undermine Ethiopia's strenuous efforts exerted over the last ten years to bring about national reconciliation and a negotiated peace in that war torn country, the diplomat said.

"Ethiopia wants Somalia to be its peace and development partner in the region but not a destabilized country used as a springboard for terrorist organizations and a threat to its national security," he said.

Asked to comment on the recent allegations of foreign media that leaders of TG's opposition forces based in Mogadishu were invited to Ethiopia, the director said "this too is a baseless and fabricated story."

However, he said, a consultation with the TG and opposition Somali forces was appropriate in line with the letter and spirit of the resolution passed by the 8th Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD) heads of state and government summit held in Khartoum, Sudan, on 23 November, 2000.

The resolution urges neighbouring countries of Somalia and IGAD's current chairman, Sudan to work for a durable peace in Somalia and the establishment of a broad-based government in that country, the director added.

Source: Walta Information Centre web site, Addis Ababa, in English 27 Feb 01

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