A delegation led by U.S. deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Karl Wycoff paid a two-day visit here which ended on Thursday. The meetings held between the Ethiopian and US officials, according to a press statement that was issued by the US embassy here, dealt with governance and economic issues.
Among the topics that were raised during the discussions with high-level officials, including Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and Minister of State of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Tekeda Alemu, were the up-coming national elections, human rights and the forthcoming annual report by the state department and liberalization of the telecom and the financial sectors in Ethiopia.
“During the bilateral discussions, the U.S. representatives urged that measures be taken to ensure that the upcoming elections run freely and fairly. They stressed that there must be no violence associated with these elections as there was in 2005. The U.S. representatives underscored that free, fair, credible and peaceful Ethiopian elections in May depend on interparty dialogue, an effective and independent electoral complaints mechanism, credible administration of the conclusion of the candidate registration process, assiduous implementation of the code of conduct by political parties and Ethiopian Government institutions, a permissive operating environment for independent observers, non-partisan election reporting, and equitable access to media,” the statement said.
The embassy added that Jordan Walker, a financial economist from the State Department’s Bureau of Economic, Energy and Business Affairs, “outlined” his country’s plans to improve cooperation between the two countries in the fields of economy and trade.
“The U.S. representatives noted that government reluctance to liberalize Ethiopia’s telecommunication, insurance and banking sectors prevents the Ethiopian economy from reaching its full potential and attracting broad investment,” the statement said. Wycoff had also paid a visit here in November last year where he expressed his government’s concern regarding human rights, freedom of expression and the press, and an enabling environment for opposition political parties to operate.
“We have something what looks like progress to my eyes, the [electoral code of conduct] and the dialogue that has been established between some members of the opposition and the government. The US supports that. At the same we have made clear to our interlocutors the importance of establishing an atmosphere and an environment in Ethiopia that enables the full participation of the full range of political actors in Ethiopia in a way that would lead to a free and fair elections,” Wycoff had said during the press conference that was held at the US embassy here in Addis Ababa.
[Reporter]