Ethiopia

 

Peace Agreement Proposal Between Ethiopia and Eritrea

 

Without sustainable peace and stability there will be no economic development and real democracy. Without justice there will be no sustainable peace and stability. If it has to be peace between Eritrea and Ethiopian they have to address the injustice committed by the founders of Eritrea and Ethiopia (Italia and Amhara) against Aga’azian people and other nations, nationalities and peoples.

May be they camouflaged by artificially created border and economic conflict but the real source of conflicts and instability is the issue of nations, nationalities and peoples (including the division of Ge’ez nation in to two) that their history, identity, values, way of life and resources has been diminished and threatened by the establishment of Eritrea and Ethiopia.

The people of Eritrea, Tigray, Oromo, Sidama, Somali etc had struggled and paid great sacrifices to change the nature of Eritrea and Ethiopia to make them that accommodate and respect their history, identity, values, way of life and resources but the EPLF/PFDJ and TPLF elite that who take over power from the Amhara elite only had restored what Emperor Menelik II and Italia agreed which is re-establishing separate countries that are Ethiopia and Eritrea. PFDJ and TPLF elite for different reasons has continued the assimilation of identity and cultures and destroying history of the nations, nationalities and peoples including our own proud and ancient Ge’ez-Aga’azian to Amhara, Catholic/Western and Arab/Islam identity. Until the history, identity and values of nations, nationalities and peoples specially the Ge’ez (ትግራይትግርኚ) people of Ethiopia and Eritrea is respected in the ground there will be no peace and stability.

When nations, nationalities and peoples lose their history and culture/value system, they lose their purpose and legitimacy. Nations, nationalities and peoples get their purpose to exist and live, and their moral, political and legal legitimacy from their history and culture/value system.

The Ge’ez nation had divided into two and since then all rulers including TPLF and PFDJ has been tried to assimilate its history and identity to the artificially created countries that are Ethiopia and Eritrea. Ethiopia, Eritrea and all African countries designed and created to serve colonialist interest permanently. Colonialist protects their interest by divided and rule. African countries deliberately designed to create mistrust within the artificially created countries and their regions. Mistrust is a fertile land for corruption and divided and rule. The statuesque political order such as Eritrea and Ethiopia are about sustaining corruption and mistrust. It is impossible to have economic development, democracy, social justice and peace while corruption and mistrust are the order and divide and rule is the rule of the game.

This is the main source of conflict and instability in the Horn of Africa. Without addressing this issue there will be no peace and stability but addressing the Ge’ez nation issue will lead to prosperity and addressing of all conflicts in the Horn of Africa. The assimilation of Ge’ez history and identity into small tribal, clannish, Arabs/Islam and Catholic in Eritrea will stop when PFDJ has removed from power and when Eritrea became a nation-state of Ge’ez people.

Oromo, Amhara, Sidama etc peoples strategic national interests in Red Sea will be protected from Arab nationalists and Muslim Wahhabists only when Eritrea became a nation-state of Ge’ez people.

The continuation of systematic assimilation of Ge’ez history and identity into Amhara/Ethiopia history, identity and culture/values will be an existential threat to the Ge’ez people of Eritrea. The Ge’ez history, identity and values of Tigray people are strategic interests of the Ge’ez people of Eritrea.

The security, stability and prosperity of the Ge’ez people of Red Sea, Eritrea and Tigray is intertwined and inseparable. So that Eritrea and Tigray must have a direct relationship without passing the government of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia like the direct relationship between Northern Ireland and Republic Ireland have without passing the government of Great Britain. This problem can solved and addressed easily without dismantling Eritrea and Ethiopia the same way like Northern Ireland, Great Britain, and Republic Ireland Good Friday 10 April 1998 peace agreement. The State of Eritrea, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, and The Government of The State Of Tigray has to agree on The status and system of government of Tigray within the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia .

• The relationship between the state of Tigray and the State of Eritrea.

Status of State of Tigray

The Agreement must acknowledge:

• That the majority of the people of state of Tigray wished to remain a part of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia;
• That a “substantial section” of the people of state of Tigray, and the majority of the people of the of the state of Eritrea, wished to bring about a united Aga’azian.

Both of these views were acknowledged as being legitimate.

The agreement reached will be that the state of Tigray would remain part of the federal republic of Ethiopia  until a majority of the people of the state of Tigray and state of Eritrea wished otherwise. Should that happen, then the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments are under “a binding obligation” to implement that choice.

“… the power of the sovereign government with jurisdiction there shall be exercised with rigorous impartiality on behalf of all the people in the diversity of their identities and traditions and shall be founded on the principles of full respect for, and equality of, civil, political, social and cultural rights, of freedom from discrimination for all citizens, and of parity of esteem and of just and equal treatment for the identity, ethos and aspirations of both communities”.

Eritrea/Tigray Ministerial Council

The Eritrea/Tigray Ministerial Council (ETMC) is a body that will be established under the comprehensive peace agreement between governments of Eritrea, Ethiopia and Tigray  to coordinate activity and exercise certain governmental powers across the whole greater Aga’azian that is Tigray and Eritrea.

The Council takes the form of meetings between ministers from both the state of Eritrea and state of Tigray and is responsible for twelve policy areas. Six of these areas are the responsibility of corresponding Eritrea/Tigray Implementation Bodies. The body will be based on agreeing city.

The Ministerial Council consists of representatives of both the Eritrea/Tigray the government of a state of Tigray and the government state of Eritrea. The Ministerial Council may meet in either a plenary or, more commonly, sectored format. In a plenary meeting a state of Tigray will led by the head of the government of Tigray or his deputy while the state of Eritrea delegation will led by the Eritrean  president or vice president.

A meeting in a sector format deals only with one particular policy area, and consists of the ministers of the two States with responsibility for the area under discussion.  The Council is supported by a standing joint Secretariat, consisting of members of the civil services of both state of Eritrea and the state of Tigray. The Council also has occasional meetings in an “institutional” format to consider other business and technical matters, such as appointments to boards.

Areas for co-operation

The Council is responsible for twelve “areas for co-operation”. Six of these are in areas where co-operation must be agreed together but implemented separately in each jurisdiction. Six more are in areas where cooperation is agreed together and implemented through shared all-Aga’azian “implementation bodies”.

Areas for co-operation where implementation is carried out separately:

• Agriculture: Agricultural Policyissues, animal and plant health, agricultural research and rural development.
• Environment: Environmental protection, pollution, water-quality management and waste management.
• Health: Accident and emergency planning, co-operation on high-technology equipment, tropical disease research and health promotion.
• Tourism: The promotion of the island of Ireland as a tourist destination for overseas visitors via the establishment of a new company, known as Tourism Aga’azian.
• Transport: Co-operation on strategic transport planning including road and rail infrastructure and public transport services and road and rail safety.

The six all-Aga’azian implementation bodies are:

• Ge’ez Religion authority: creates united Ge’ez church, priest training, and managing holy sites.
• Language institution: developing, integrating and monitoring Tigrigna, Ge’ez and Tigre languages.
• Ge’ez Diaspora commission : creating united Ge’ez community organizations, bolstering Ge’ez identity
• Ge’ez Cultural institute: creating common art policy and copyright law.
• Grater Aga’azian inter trade: Eritrea and Tigray trade and business development.
• Education common commission: curriculum from elementary school to university, educational under-achievement, teacher qualifications and school, youth and teacher exchanges.

Tigrai/Eritrea Consultative Forum

The Tigrai/Eritrea Consultative Forum is a civic forum on the grater Aga’azian that will be envisioned as part of the comprehensive peace agreement. The Forum is envisioned as an independent consultant forum appointed by the government of Eritrea and the government of Tigray “comprising the social partners and other members with expertise in social, cultural, economic and other issues” and being representative of civil society.

Tigrai/Eritrea Inter-Parliamentary Association

The Tigrai/Eritrea Inter-Parliamentary Association is an inter-parliamentary forum created between the national parliament of the state of Eritrea and the state of Tigray. The Association will have 48 members, will drawn equally from members of the State of Eritrea and the state of Tigray and will meet twice annually on a rotational basis.

The forum is co-chaired by the speakers of the parliaments.  

Eritrea/Ethiopia Council

The Eritrea-Ethiopia Council (EEC)will be an international organization that will establish under the comprehensive peace agreement.  Its membership will comprises representatives from:

• The two sovereigngovernments of state of Eritrea and the federal republic of Ethiopia;
• The three devolved administrationsof state of Tigray, Amhara National state government, Oromo National state government, the Southern Nations and nationalities Peoples Regional State,
• The governors of four regional administrations of Eritrea.

Its stated The Eritrea-Ethiopia Council (EEC) aim is to “promote the harmonious and mutually beneficial development of the totality of relationships among the peoples of these two countries”. The EEC has a standing secretariat, will be located in agreeing location, and it will meet with the semi-annual summit session and more frequent ministerial meetings

Membership and operation

Membership of the Council consists of the following administrations (

The five heads of national and regional government meet at twice yearly summits. Additionally, there are regular meetings that deal with specific sectors and are attended by the corresponding ministers. Representatives of members operate in accordance with whatever procedures for democratic authority and accountability are in force in their respective elected legislatures.

The work of the Council will be financed by members through mutual agreement as required. It will have a permanent standing secretariat, which will be based in agreed location.

Work areas

The Council agrees to specific work areas for which individual members take responsibility. It can be transport links, agriculture, environmental issues, culture, health, education and approaches to the European Union, IGAD as suitable topics for early discussion. However, these work areas can be expanded or reduced as the Council decides. It is also open to the Council to make an agreement on common policies. These agreements are made through consensus, although individual members may opt not to participate in implementing any of these.

Ethiopian-Eritrean  Intergovernmental Conference

The Ethiopian -Eritrean Inter-governmental (EEIGC) will be established under an Agreement between the Governments of Eritrea and the Federal republic of Ethiopia as part of the comprehensive peace agreement.  EEIGC will be chaired by Ethiopian Prime Minister and Eritrean president.  

About

Under the terms of the of the comprehensive peace agreement, the EEIGC will be supported by officials of the Eritrean and Ethiopian Governments, including a standing Joint Secretariat of officials dealing with non-devolved to the state of Tigray matters. The BIIGC secretariat will have approximately 50 staff (25 for the Ethiopian  side, 25 for the Eritrean side). The staff will comprise a mix of grades from senior civil servants to administer support grades.

 The EEIGC guarantees the Government of Ethiopia a say in areas of bilateral cooperation and on those matters not yet devolved to the state of Tigray  or the Eritrea/Tigray Ministerial Council.

The EEIGC is normally chaired by the ministers of  foreign affairs of Eritrea and Ethiopia.  Provision is made however for meetings at Summit level, i.e. between the Ethiopian prime minister and Eritrean President.  There will be also provision under the comprehensive peace agreement for Members of the Legislative Assembly to be involved in the intergovernmental conference but they do not have the power to block decisions taken by the two governments.

Non Devolved matters

In respect of bilateral co-operation these include:

• African Union, IGADand international issues
• Border security and environmental security issue between Afar region of Ethiopia and Eritrea
• Trade and business issues between Eritrea and Ethiopia
• Crime justice matters
• Fiscal issues

The Eritrean–Ethiopian Parliamentary Assembly

The Eritrean -Ethiopian Parliamentary Assembly ( EEPA) is a deliberative body consisting of members of legislative bodies in the state of Eritrea, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the state of Tigrai,  Amhara National state government, Oromo National state government, and the Southern Nations and nationalities Peoples Regional state government.   Its purpose will be to foster common understanding between elected representatives from these jurisdictions.

The assembly consists of members of the parliaments of Eritrea and Ethiopia as well as four representatives from the regional parliament of Amhara, Tigrai, Oromo and the Southern Nations and nationalities Peoples Regional State.

Functions

The Eritrean -Ethiopian Parliamentary Assembly ( EEPA) has to holds two plenary sessions a year. It needs to have four committees (dealing with sovereign matters between the Asmara and Addis Ababa parliaments, Horn Africa affairs, economic matters, the environment and social matters)  that meet several times a year. They have to produce reports which will be submitted for comment to governments, and which will be discussed in plenary. A steering committee will organizes the work of the plenary and will deal with the assembly’s institutional matters.