Ambassador Shinn’s confusion whether Eritrea and Ethiopia would be united in the future is an insult to Eritrea

Ambassador David Shinn

You Mean Save The Monster? Oh No Sir!

By Araia G. Ephrem

In a recent event of Ethiopia-Eritrea Relations conference of October 18, 2015; former US Ambassadors David Shinn and Herman Cohen were among the invited panelists. The event was hosted by Vision Ethiopia and ESAT.

In that conference Ambassador David Shinn went to say, "There is a question about ... Do we think the two nations would be united in the future? Ambassador Cohen could speak separately to that. I don't know, what would happen to Ethiopia and Eritrea. I would like to point out one thing that was mentioned to me on several occasions in meetings that I had with Prime Minister Meles, which I always find fascinating, and I was never able to get from him [Meles] why he made those statements ..."

Please listen to the YouTube link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqWELyYDeKA

Ambassador David Shinn stated that the late Ethiopian Prime Minister had told him,"Mr. Ambassador, one of these days we are going to be back together again." Well, the Prime Minister meant Eritrea and Ethiopia would be united in the future. However, the late Prime Minister didn’t elaborate how,when …etc.

If I were Ambassador David Shinn, I won't appear to be confused or surprised about what the late Prime Minister Meles said or what he meant. After all, Ambassador David Shinn was the US ambassador to Ethiopia in 1998 when Ethiopia aggressed and invaded Eritrea. Perhaps Ambassador David Shinn recalls the map on the bottom of this article. The map is from Atlantic Magazine’s article “After Iraq” Feb-Mar 2008. I am quite certain Prime Meles doesn’t have the ability to draw such elaborated political map. Perhaps Ambassador Shinn can tell us who drew such a map.

Does Ambassador David Shinn not know what his office in Addis Ababa was doing in 1998?

His remarks coming after 25 years of Eritrean nationhood and sovereignty was strange. Especially after he witnessed Ethiopia's illegal war of 1998 was repulsed by many Eritrean sacrifices.

Ambassador David Shinn's pondering remarks about future Eritrea and Ethiopia becoming united shows the lowest regard to Eritrean Martyrs who sacrificed their lives to make Eritrea as free as it must be. In addition, Ambassador David Shinn's doubts seem to mock the Eritrean youth Martyrs who gave their lives in defense of Ethiopia's illegal war of invasion during 1998-2000.

Ambassador David Shinn ought to look back at his own roles during the war that targeted the elimination of Eritrea as a sovereign state. Ambassador David Shinn must not forget that every Eritrean had stood to defend Eritrea's sovereignty and would continue to firmly stand now or in the future. Ambassador David Shinn must not forget that despite the US government's moral and material support, Eritrea defied the odds and repulsed Ethiopia's lawless aggression.Ambassador David Shinn ought to remember that he was a witness to the bitter war fought between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Therefore, Ambassador David Shinn’s confusion whether Eritrea and Ethiopia would be united in the future is simply an insult to Eritrea's sovereign statehood and it could sound a mockery on all Eritreans, especially after Eritrea’s triumph over Ethiopia’s aggression and all those who backed the illegal invasion. Ambassador David Shinn ought to remember that the Ethiopian military was spending around one million dollars a day in its attempt to destroy Eritrea, Eritrean sovereignty and Eritrea's core beliefs. Did Ambassador David Shinn forget where Ethiopia got its war budget?

Therefore, what Prime Meles had said and meant should have been apparent to Ambassador David Shinn. The question that Ambassador David Shinn should have wondered about was who gave Prime Meles the financial nurturing and moral boost to act idiotic.

Regardless, Ambassador David Shinn ought to have known firsthand about Eritrea's solid future and statehood. And thus, Eritrea’s nationhood and sovereignty now or in the future must not be doubted at all.

To make matters muddier, Ambassador David Shinn went to explore that Eritrea and Ethiopia should restore normal relations with airlines, telecommunication and other trades going back to pre-war status.

Does Ambassador David Shinn mean Eritrea should negotiate with the current Ethiopian minority regime [Woyane]? Does Ambassador David Shinn mean Eritrea should save the Woyane regime from a terminal political and power crisis? Actually,Ambassador David Shinn should adamantly pressure Ethiopia [Woyane] to respect and implement the final and binding decision of the EEBC (Eritrea-Ethiopia Boarder Commission). Otherwise, to restore normal relations at present may sound that Ambassador David Shinn had minimized Woyane's idiotic and barbaric misgivings.Or could it sound that Ambassador David Shinn was insinuating something regarding Eritrea's future sovereignty and statehood? Does Ambassador David Shinn understand that Eritrea has paid dearly to defend Woyane's illegal aggression and invasion that was encouraged by his very government? Did Ambassador David Shinn forget that he was in the very office that gave Woyane a green light to invade Eritrea?

Does Ambassador David Shinn understand his words could come as an unstabilizing factor?

Looking at the map that came out in Atlantic Magazine simply can be a witness to what Prime Minister Meles meant when he told Ambassador David Shinn “"Mr.Ambassador, one of these days we are going to be back together again."Certainly someone in the US State Department must have known at the start of the Ethiopian war of invasion against Eritrea in 1998.

Eritrea has been a pioneer for peace in East Africa and beyond. So, if Eritrea works hard to maintain good relations with its neighbors, I don't envision it would be with a regime that has the least respect to its own people and neighbors. Short of that, if Ambassador David Shinn's suggestion is to restore normal relations with the current Ethiopian minority regime, it means to save an ugly monster and elasticizing the agony of the region at large.

Many Eritreans suggested to the Ethiopians who hosted the conference that Eritrean and Ethiopian future relations should not be under the supervision of guests like Ambassadors David Shinn and Herman Cohen.

Eritrean and Ethiopian future relations should be a matter only to Eritreans and Ethiopians.

Hopefully, the Ethiopians who hosted the conference may have learnt a lesson ortwo in regards to building good future relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia.It only must be with genuine interests of both nations, instead of bringing third parties in between.

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