Peace talks between ONLF and Ethiopia held in Kenya

[Faafan]

Initial peace talks between ONLF and Ethiopia.

 

Peace talks between O'gaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) and the Ethiopian Government Held in Kenya

 

ONLF Press Release

September 8, 2012

 

Delegates from the O'gaden National Liberation Front and the Ethiopian government held talks in Nairobi, Kenya on the September 6th and 7th 2012, facilitated by a Kenyan team designated by the President of Kenya, HE Mwai Kibaki. Mr Abdirahman Mahdi, the Foreign Secretary of the O'gaden National Liberation Front, led the ONLF delegation from the Somalis in O'gaden. The Ethiopian delegation was led By the Defence Minister of Ethiopia HE Siraj Fegessa. HE Mohamed Yusuf Haji, the Minister of State and Ag Minister for Provincial Administration and Internal Security of Kenya led the facilitation team.

 

After exchanging opening statements presented by the head of the delegations, the two sides agreed on the modalities of the negotiation process, the general principles that would be the basis of resolving the conflict and the initial agenda, with the facilitation of the Kenyan team.

 

The general principles agreed upon that would be the basis for resolving the conflict is:

 

1 .Formal negotiations between the Ethiopian government and O'gaden National Liberation Front shall be held to resolve the conflict;

 

2 .The common goal of the afore mentioned negotiations shall be the attainment of a just and lasting peace;

 

3.Such negotiations shall be comprehensive and address the substantive issues that are the root causes of the conflict;

 

4 .The holding of negotiations must be in accordance with mutually acceptable principles and no preconditions shall be made to negate the inherent character and purpose of the peace negotiations.

 

5 .The substantive agenda of the peace negotiations shall include issues that will facilitate the implementation of any peace agreement;

 

6.Both parties shall agree to specific measures of goodwill and confidence building in order to create a favourable climate for the negotiations.

 

Finally, the parties agreed on the date of the next meeting to be held in Kenya.

 

Issued by the : O'gaden National Liberation Front

[Faafan]

Ethiopia Government in Talks With Rebels, Spokesman Says.

 

Ethiopia Government in Talks With Rebels, Spokesman Says.

 

By William Davison - Sep 8, 2012.

 

 

Ethiopia’s government has held peace talks with the O'gaden National Liberation Front, an outlawed ethnic-Somali rebel group, Communications Minister Bereket Simon said.

 

“It’s a very positive step and we will pursue negotiations up to the last and try to bring all concerned in that area to the constitutional framework,” Bereket said in a phone interview from the capital, Addis Ababa, today.

 

Proposals to end the conflict in the O'gaden area of Ethiopia’s Somali regional state were agreed during initial talks on Sept. 6 and Sept. 7 in Nairobi, the rebel group said in an e-mailed statement today.

 

To contact the reporter on this story: William Davison in Addis Ababa at

wdavison3@bloomberg.net

 

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mike Harrison at

mharrison5@bloomberg.net

[Carafaat]

So Ethiopia gave in by accepting that the talks will be held in Kenya.

[Jacaylbaro]

Good move by the new Admin in Ethiopia ....

[Faafan]

True ONLF has refused talks with Ethiopia in any place other than a neutral third-party country with international observers.

[Faafan]

Jacaylbaro;865749 wrote:

Good move by the new Admin in Ethiopia ....

This was initiated long before the death of Meles, it has nothing to do with the new admin which by the way is still in limbo.

[Jacaylbaro]

Well, it is happening now. Seems things are cooling down for the region. Wonderful news

[Faafan]

We will not invest much emotion in this until something concrete is agreed upon but indeed good for all that this happening.

[The Zack]

CIlmooge of ONLF talked well.

 

http://www.voasomali.com/content/article/1504122.html

[Somalia]

Good move by ONLF, war is not the answer now. It is truly the year of the cagdheer people, I wish the people of the region good health and prosperity.

[Abtigiis]

Adeer, the talks have started in an organized and very procedural way. Zack, the Ethio delegation got a shock of their life when the commander of the fighters inside the region Sulub Abdi Axmed sat just across the table as part of the ONLF delegation. Sulub is fluent in Amharic and I had lunch with him last week, was amazed by how young he looked given his age. The ethios intelligence who were part of the Ethio delgation could not belive their eyes : "O! is that Sulub? where is the big hair?" Afterall, they know him as he was their prisoner in Harar for sometime before he escaped!He is a brave man, having escaped from Ethiopian hands twice and still fighting inside. A former teacher, Sulub epitomizes the valour of those who did not waiver when the times were testing!

 

Immensely proud by how the team conducted this round, but then the devil is in the details. If Ethiopia is geuine about peace in the region, there will be no problem. The ONLF is ready to be reasonable. If they want Ibrahim Dheere and Ma'ow kind of nonesense, they will not have it! Let the fire rage! I belive the Ethios are genuine too. Their real power-man in Addis, not Hailemariam, but another one I do not want to name, has met someone privately a week ago and the conclusion of the friend who saw the TPLF man is that he looked sincere. We don't care. We want things written on paper in the presence of third party.

 

If the self-determination issue is shelved as part of the necessary compromise, The ONLF will insist on (1) complete political freedom within the agreed framework [to be agreed upon yet) (2) full demilitrization 3) clear protocols on resource sharing if the Ethiopians want to compromise. If they don't, ii biloow dhantadii "Ma wardheer taan jeclaaba, la wareegay wayaane!" It is that simple! We have no stomach for processes that can yield Iley and his ilk. The people will determine who rules them. Let the Tigres dictate to Somaliland and Puntland and whoever else wants to be dictated to, not to US!

[sharma-arke451]

5 .The substantive agenda of the peace negotiations shall include issues that will facilitate the implementation of any peace agreement;

the clause above may rage a new storm of war. who else can see this?

[Abtigiis]

Shar'ma arke, that is not the most difficult point. There is an element of risk for both sides when it comes to operationalising any deal. They got to live with the risks but ultimately there got has to some level of goodwill and confidence-building that precede the implementation of the deal.

 

Somalia, it was only you and those who think this war is a war of choice who are amazed by ONLF accepting peace. As you know, the gun is a means to peace not a goal by itself. So, today Ethiopia agreed to sit and discuss the grieviences of the Somalis in Ethiopia. Until now, they were refusing to do that. So, it is a progress regardless of its outcome. The second step is to agree on what to do about those grieviances. Definitely, no side won this war. So, there should be a compromise for no side can dicate its terms. But hopefully that compromise will make life better for the poor and oppressed people of the region. That is what matters!

[Faafan]

The Zack;866042 wrote:

CIlmooge of ONLF talked well.

 

http://www.voasomali.com/content/article/1504122.html

 

Why do the VOA Somali and BBC Somali hire people who can't conduct interviews in a professional manner? This interviewer has no class....Cadaani schooled her anyway.

[Somalia]

Abtigiis;866049 wrote:

Shar'ma arke, that is not the most difficult point. There is an element of risk for both sides when it comes to operationalising any deal. They got to live with the risks but ultimately there got has to some level of goodwill and confidence-building that precede the implementation of the deal.

 

Somalia, it was only you and those who think this war is a war of choice who are amazed by ONLF accepting peace. As you know, the gun is a means to peace not a goal by itself. So, today Ethiopia agreed to sit and discuss the grieviences of the Somalis in Ethiopia. Until now, they were refusing to do that. So, it is a progress regardless of its outcome. The second step is to agree on what to do about those grieviances. Definitely, no side won this war. So, there should be a compromise for no side can dicate its terms. But hopefully that compromise will make life better for the poor and oppressed people of the region. That is what matters!

I was wrong in part of what I said, such as me alluding to it being a war of choice, it's clear that the peace Abdi Iley and others settled on isn't enough and shouldn't be. However, I always believed it is a start. I don't think the Ethiopians will ever demilitarize the region, depending on what your version is. But there could be settlements such as moving the capital back, natural resources and partly demilitarize such as only keeping military bases while the state is governed by federal troops.