Something Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Did Not Say

The June 29 news story "Ethiopian Premier Admits Errors on Somalia," by Stephanie McCrummen, mischaracterized remarks made by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. The article stated that the prime minister said that "his government ‘made a wrong political calculation’ when it intervened in Somalia," implying that he declared Ethiopia’s involvement in that country a mistake. The video record demonstrates that he said no such thing.

The only political miscalculation referred to by the prime minister was Ethiopia’s optimism that Somali clan leaders who backed radical elements in the Islamic Courts Union would readily honor their commitment to a peaceful political settlement. Also, in the prime minister’s words, the extremist forces made a military miscalculation in assuming that Ethiopia’s withdrawal of roughly two-thirds of its troops would not leave a credible deterrent force.

Your paper’s erroneous reporting is of major consequence because it mischaracterized the position of the Ethiopian government on a matter relevant to peace and security in the Horn of Africa, U.S. foreign policy in the region, and the broader war on terrorism. The U.S. news media’s coverage of Africa is already limited, and reporting such as this only adds to the inaccurate and often distorted picture of the challenges faced by my government and others in the region.

SAMUEL ASSEFA

Ambassador

Embassy of Ethiopia

Washington