Kofi Annan, UNSG, and the UN Security Council: Pillars of Hypocrisy!
By: Ogbazgy Abbay Asmerom
October 20, 2004
Part I Part II PartIII Part IV
The Webster New Collegiate Dictionary defines hypocrisy as a "false assumption of an appearance of virtue." At this time, at the UN, there is no one who has any virtue that distinguishes falsehood from the truth. Hypocrisy reigns in the highest place, which is at the UN. There is a lot of insincerity at the UN. Unfortunately, diplomats at the UN say something in one place and turn around and do something else or take a very different step.
Look at the tragic situation in Somalia! Why did the UN not help Somalia become united when Ethiopia caused its disintegration? Ethiopia has created the current turmoil in Somalia. Ethiopia does not want to see a united Somalia. It also wants to see a fragmented Eritrea! It should be understood Eritrean unity is not going to be broken by Ethiopian propaganda or psychological warfare!
Webster, again, defines a hypocrite to be a person "who affects virtues or qualities he does not have." Thus, a hypocrite is a person who is not sincere. We know that evil triumphs when good men keep silent! It is a tragic situation that there are no good men at the Security Council who stand up for justice and who speak the truth! We know that some leaders and diplomats are being bought for money, power and other temporal benefits! We know that such leaders are hypocrites. Such leaders cannot be trusted! They cannot be in a position to manage complex issues!
If the national interest of the major powers is affected, we know that insincere diplomats do all kinds of dirty tricks to maintain their benefits. Some of them respect black gold [OIL] than human life. They trade human life for oil and wage a pre-emptive strike or unnecessary war to get what is under the ground. Some of them use the power of the purse. Some of them use a "carrot and stick" approach. Others use the veto power to block any resolution that does not maintain their interests. What about the national interests of the smaller nations?
Mr. Annan,
If you are expecting Ethiopia to comply with the ruling of the Border Commission without a stern warning and forceful diplomatic campaign, you will be lost in your diplomatic career. You will regret of the quagmire you have created! Thus, action is needed. Hiding behind a mask of hypocrisy will not work, or will not make the border become demarcated.
Recently, the Foreign Minister of the minority, TPLF led government of Ethiopia, fooled the world community in his speech at the UN. He wanted to have an open-ended dialogue with Eritrea, a win-win solution to the border issue and a long-lasting peaceful co-existence with Eritrea. He also added Ethiopia only rejected 15% of the decision. What a smart aleck speech! Did his Prime Minister not tell the SG of The UN that Ethiopia considers the ruling illegal, unjust, and irresponsible? Thus, it has already rejected 100% of the decision! Any mathematician knows that this so-called mathematical equation is false! It cannot be balanced by supplying any variables! How deceiving can the Foreign Minister be! Who is advising him to utter such incoherent statements? How come that the SG, the Security Council, or the world community not know about the mischievousness of this kind of an approach?
For how long is Ethiopia going to deceive the world community? For how long is Ethiopia going to be allowed to disregard an international law? For how long is Ethiopia going to eat its cake and the desire to have it? For how long is your hypocrisy going to continue? For how long is the Security Council going to limp on two legs? For how long is justice going to be ignored? It is time to act!
At this time, Ethiopia needs to be apprehended and be brought to justice! It must be punished! The terms of punishment are economic sanctions! The Algiers accord stipulates that. Chapter Seven of the Charter of the UN also approves the method of restitution. These, only these, will teach Ethiopia a lesson. A poor country cannot resist such coordinated effort!
Issuing hollow reports from your office or the Security Council will not make the problem go away. Determined steps and stiff penalties will make Ethiopia comply. Weak words that come from your office or the Security Council that repeatedly state: "reaffirming, stressing, recalling, expressing disappointment, noting with concern, and having considered"; then adding, "calls upon, takes notes, stresses that, urges, reiterates, decides, requests, and remains seized of the matter" do not help the border get demarcated. Action is needed! Inaction breeds contempt! Hypocrisy breeds anarchy!
As far as Ethiopia is concerned, the International Community, including the SGUN and the UN Security Council has become very complacent in rewarding an illegal act. Ethiopia is being given all kinds of bilateral and multinational assistance, aid, and help to continue its aggression against Eritrea. It has been given some green light to do what it wants to do!
It is very unnerving to see the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, visit Ethiopia, when he clearly knows that Ethiopia has not complied with the ruling of the Border Commission's Decision! What is an astute and intelligent person going to read about this visit of hypocrisy? The Eritreans in London did a good job in demonstrating outside of Downing Street and reminded the Prime Minister of his ill-advised visit to the wretched land!
The relevancy of the Security Council does not become valuable unless it is backed by the application of the rule of law. Issuing biannual reports that do not change the dynamics of the border situation will not make the border become self-demarcated. Repeating senseless words will not make a difference. Honesty and the application of the ruling of the Border Commission will settle the impasse. Four years have gone by! A lot could have been achieved in the revitalization of the devastated economic infrastructure of the two countries, had the border been demarcated. I know, in my office, in eight hours, a lot gets accomplished! What about in your office! What about in the office of the Security Council! It is time to wake up! It is time to produce tangible results! Dangling on the scale of justice is not bearing any fruit!
When demarcation is completed, bilateral Dialogue with Ethiopia would be the next step to use to resolve the seaport and trading issues. Dialogue will be the result of the demarcation of the border. Now, open-ended dialogue is not an incentive for the Eritreans! Giving sea access to Ethiopia would be the result of a dialogue that comes after the implementation of the Demarcation of the Border. Cross border-trading and family reunification will be the results of demarcation. It should be known that all of these things would come when the demarcation process is completed. Ethiopia must learn a lesson from the Nordic countries, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. They have many common elements that bind them together. They do co-exist peacefully. Why does not Ethiopia learn to co-exist peacefully with Eritrea?
Ethiopia, at this time, is crying for an open-ended dialogue with Eritrea that would eventually drag for years. It wants Badme to be given to it. It wants one of the Eritrean seaports, Aseb, be given to it! A Win-win solution to Ethiopia means a loss to Eritrea! Before demarcation, there is no dialogue! To claim that dialogue should come first is like putting the cart before the horse! If you put the cart before the horse, there is no task to be accomplished. This can be a simple objective lesson for you and the members of the Security Council. The objective lesson of this scenario can be understood by a very young child. How come the SGUN and the Security Council members do not understand this simple objective lesson?
Plutarch stated, "It is not disgrace not to be able to do everything; but to undertake, or pretend to do, what you are not made for; it is not only shameful, but extremely troublesome and vexatious."
Kofi Annan and members of the Security Council, please do not create troublesome and vexatious problems for the Eritreans. Eritrea is determined to fashion its own destiny. It wants to follow international norms and laws. It believes in the interdependence of nations. It has utmost respect for the rule of law. That is why it has been emphasizing the legal and binding aspect of the Border Commission's Decision. You may think you are helping the Ethiopians. That is not the case! As long as it does not live in peace with Eritrea, Ethiopia cannot live in peace with itself!
Mr. Annan,
Through diplomatic expediencies and sheer hypocrisy, you and the 15 members have taught Eritrea the fallacy of diplomatic justice. It has learned that there is no justice when it comes to the national interests of smaller nations. It has learned that an international ruling can be ignored when the interests of superpowers have been affected. Economic interests of the superpowers dictate more than truth and justice! Eritrea is not going to sell its national dignity and sovereignty to please any diplomat or hired gunner! If and because of your hypocrisy the border is not demarcated, Eritrea has the inalienable right to define its border and respect its border. It will defend itself from Tigrayan and Ethiopian aggressions. It knows it must have a clearly defined international border. That is why it chose the path of the Algiers Agreement.
Due to your ineptitude and the hypocrisy of the Security Council, the Border has remained undemarcated for four years! It should be demarcated according to the outline given by the Border Commission. In fact, it should start immediately! Once it gets started, it should not take more than 3-4 months.
For the Eritreans, there is no mathematical error that causes a standard of deviation from the demarcation plan that was given by the Border Commission. There is no deviation from that! There is no alternative mechanism! Ethiopia will be in a better position diplomatically if you make it understand its foolhardy and stupid mistakes. You need to compel it to accept the verdict of the Border Commission's Decision. It has to be given an ultimatum. Dragging its feet indefinitely will not make the issue of the border get resolved!
Let not a wretched nation hold hostage the Demarcation process! Let not a poor nation hoodwink the world community! It is time to stand up against Ethiopia. For the sake of peace and stability in the Horn of Africa, you need to show some candor and work for a final and long-lasting peaceful solution to the demarcation impasse! Let the job be done!
A no war, no peace stand off does not appeal to the Eritreans! The Eritreans want to see an end to this madness. Let this sore of the eye be treated with an eye salve. Let the Eritreans concentrate on their development schemes! They are ready to do miracles. Africa's hope depends on Eritrea's success. Know this, the Eritreans have shown Africa that things do work in Eritrean without stooping to the arrogant master who demands dependency on all aspects of life.
Do not waste time! Show some form of respect for the Decision of the Border Commission! Get your facts together! Do not waver on the scale of justice! Get real and show the Eritreans that legal solution does not mean political solution!
THE END