• Destabilizes instead of restoring peace, order
ADDIS ABABA – Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) stated that Ethiopia believes that the H.R. 6600 draft bill “doesn’t measure up to the level of historic relationship between Ethiopia and United States (U.S.).
MoFA Spokesperson Dina Mufti told ENA that the draft bill introduced by U.S. Senators Tom Malinowski and Young Kim last month proposed various forms of sanctions, including suspension of security and financial assistance to the Ethiopian government.
It would also require U.S.to oppose loans by international agencies such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to Ethiopia and Eritrea, according to the document.
He said the Government of Ethiopia believes that this bill does not measure up to the level of the historic relationship between two sisterly countries.
“We don’t think it will help the relations of the two countries. We hope this bill will not go through the Congress, and will not pass. We hope friends of Ethiopia, those who care about this historic relationship between the two countries, will help this bill to die naturally. This is what we think and what we want to impress on our friends in the United States and elsewhere,” he stated.
Dina stressed that the draft bill seriously affects the livelihood and economic activities of the Ethiopian people. However, there is a strong movement against this bill by Ethiopian Diaspora, he added.
This stage has been set by the recent demonstration of Ethiopians and Eritreans in the U.S. against this bill, and “I hope the Diaspora elsewhere and friends of Ethiopia will also continue protesting against this bill.”
The Diaspora should take a lesson from their experiences of the “# NoMore Movement” which was against the pressure on Ethiopia, the spokesperson elaborated.
“We hope they will continue the same thing against the H.R. 6600 bill, which is not in the interest of Ethiopia and U.S., and which hurts the interest of both countries and people.”
It is to be recalled that the global peaceful movement, “NoMore Movement,” has denounced the Orwellian bill “Ethiopia Stabilization, Peace and Democracy Act” (HR 6600) that calls for the imposition of harsh sanctions and violent measures against Ethiopia.
The Ethio-American Development Council, the Ethiopian American Council (EAC), the American-Ethiopia Public Affairs Committee-AEPAC, #NoMore Movement and other civic organizations have been undertaking various activities against the bill.
In related news, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said the proposed H.R.6600 bill, which facilitates the U.S. unjustified intervention in Ethiopia’s conflict, is not the right tool to bring sustainable solutions to address human rights violations in the latter.
Approached by the Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA), EHRC Chief Commissioner Daniel Bekele (PhD) stated that the H.R.6600 will not play any constructive role in addressing human rights violations in Ethiopia. Economic, political and military sanctions will have counterproductive outcomes and have a potential to destabilize the sanctioned nation rather than restoring peace and stability.
BY MULATU BELACHEW
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD THURSDAY 17 MARCH 2022
