Keep Us Strong WikiLeaks logo

Currently released so far... 97115 / 251,287

Articles

Browse latest releases

Browse by creation date

Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
ETRD EAGR ETTC EAID ECON EFIN ECIN EINV ELAB EAIR ENRG EPET EWWT ECPS EIND EMIN ELTN EC ETMIN EUC EZ ET ELECTIONS ENVR EU EUN EG EINT ER ECONOMICS ES EMS ENIV EEB EN ECE ECOSOC EK ENVIRONMENT EFIS EI EWT ENGRD ECPSN EXIM EIAD ERIN ECPC EDEV ENGY ECTRD EPA ESTH ECCT EINVECON ENGR ERTD EUR EAP EWWC ELTD EL EXIMOPIC EXTERNAL ETRDEC ESCAP ECO EGAD ELNT ECONOMIC ENV ETRN EIAR EUMEM ENRGPARMOTRASENVKGHGPGOVECONTSPLEAID EREL ECOM ECONETRDEAGRJA ETCC ETRG ECONOMY EMED ETR ENERG EITC EFINOECD EURM EENG ERA EXPORT ENRD ECONEINVETRDEFINELABETRDKTDBPGOVOPIC EGEN EBRD EVIN ETRAD ECOWAS EFTA ECONETRDBESPAR EGOVSY EPIN EID ECONENRG EDRC ESENV ETT EB ENER ELTNSNAR ECHEVARRIA ETRC EPIT EDUC ESA EFI ENRGY ESCI EE EAIDXMXAXBXFFR EETC ECIP EIAID EIVN EBEXP ESTN EING EGOV ETRA EPETEIND ELAN ETRDGK EAIDRW ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS EPEC ENVI ELN EAG EPCS EPRT EPTED ETRB EUM EAIDS EFIC EFINECONEAIDUNGAGM EAIDAR ESF EIDN ELAM EDU EV EAIDAF ECN EDA EXBS EINTECPS ENRGTRGYETRDBEXPBTIOSZ EPREL EAC EINVEFIN ETA EAGER EINDIR ECA ECLAC ELAP EITI EUCOM ECONEFINETRDPGOVEAGRPTERKTFNKCRMEAID EARG ELDIN EINVKSCA ENNP EFINECONCS EFINTS ECCP ETC EAIRASECCASCID EINN ETRP EAIDNI EFQ ECOQKPKO EGPHUM EBUD ECONEINVEFINPGOVIZ ENERGY ELB EINDETRD EMI ECONEFIN EIB EURN ETRDEINVTINTCS EIN EFIM ETIO ELAINE EMN EATO EWTR EIPR EINVETC ETTD ETDR EIQ ECONCS EPPD ENRGIZ EISL ESPINOSA ELEC EAIG ESLCO EUREM ENTG ERD EINVECONSENVCSJA EEPET EUNCH ECINECONCS ETRO ETRDECONWTOCS ECUN EFND EPECO EAIRECONRP ERGR ETRDPGOV ECPN ENRGMO EPWR EET EAIS EAGRE EDUARDO EAGRRP EAIDPHUMPRELUG EICN ECONQH EVN EGHG ELBR EINF EAIDHO EENV ETEX ERNG ED
KMDR KPAO KPKO KJUS KCRM KGHG KFRD KWMN KDEM KTFN KHIV KGIC KIDE KSCA KNNP KHUM KIPR KSUM KISL KIRF KCOR KRCM KPAL KWBG KN KS KOMC KSEP KFLU KPWR KTIA KSEO KMPI KHLS KICC KSTH KMCA KVPR KPRM KE KU KZ KFLO KSAF KTIP KTEX KBCT KOCI KOLY KOR KAWC KACT KUNR KTDB KSTC KLIG KSKN KNN KCFE KCIP KGHA KHDP KPOW KUNC KDRL KV KPREL KCRS KPOL KRVC KRIM KGIT KWIR KT KIRC KOMO KRFD KUWAIT KG KFIN KSCI KTFIN KFTN KGOV KPRV KSAC KGIV KCRIM KPIR KSOC KBIO KW KGLB KMWN KPO KFSC KSEAO KSTCPL KSI KPRP KREC KFPC KUNH KCSA KMRS KNDP KR KICCPUR KPPAO KCSY KTBT KCIS KNEP KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KNNB KGCC KINR KPOP KMFO KENV KNAR KVIR KDRG KDMR KFCE KNAO KDEN KGCN KICA KIMMITT KMCC KLFU KMSG KSEC KUM KCUL KMNP KSMT KCOM KOMCSG KSPR KPMI KRAD KIND KCRP KAUST KWAWC KTER KCHG KRDP KPAS KITA KTSC KPAOPREL KWGB KIRP KJUST KMIG KLAB KTFR KSEI KSTT KAPO KSTS KLSO KWNN KPOA KHSA KNPP KPAONZ KBTS KWWW KY KJRE KPAOKMDRKE KCRCM KSCS KWMNCI KESO KWUN KPLS KIIP KEDEM KPAOY KRIF KGICKS KREF KTRD KFRDSOCIRO KTAO KJU KWMNPHUMPRELKPAOZW KEN KO KNEI KEMR KKIV KEAI KWAC KRCIM KWCI KFIU KWIC KCORR KOMS KNNO KPAI KBWG KTTB KTBD KTIALG KILS KFEM KTDM KESS KNUC KPA KOMCCO KCEM KRCS KWBGSY KNPPIS KNNPMNUC KWN KERG KLTN KALM KCCP KSUMPHUM KREL KGH KLIP KTLA KAWK KWMM KVRP KVRC KAID KSLG KDEMK KX KIF KNPR KCFC KFTFN KTFM KPDD KCERS KMOC KDEMAF KMEPI KEMS KDRM KEPREL KBTR KEDU KNP KIRL KNNR KMPT KISLPINR KTPN KA KJUSTH KPIN KDEV KTDD KAKA KFRP KWNM KTSD KINL KJUSKUNR KWWMN KECF KWBC KPRO KVBL KOM KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KEDM KFLD KLPM KRGY KNNF KICR KIFR KM KWMNCS KAWS KLAP KPAK KDDG KCGC KID KNSD KMPF KPFO KDP KCMR KRMS KNPT KNNNP KTIAPARM KDTB KNUP KPGOV KNAP KNNC KUK KSRE KREISLER KIVP KQ KTIAEUN KPALAOIS KRM KISLAO KWM KFLOA
PHUM PINR PTER PGOV PREL PREF PL PM PHSA PE PARM PINS PK PUNE PO PALESTINIAN PU PBTS PROP PTBS POL POLI PA PGOVZI POLMIL POLITICAL PARTIES POLM PD POLITICS POLICY PAS PMIL PINT PNAT PV PKO PPOL PERSONS PING PBIO PH PETR PARMS PRES PCON PETERS PRELBR PT PLAB PP PAK PDEM PKPA PSOCI PF PLO PTERM PJUS PSOE PELOSI PROPERTY PGOVPREL PARP PRL PNIR PHUMKPAL PG PREZ PGIC PBOV PAO PKK PROV PHSAK PHUMPREL PROTECTION PGOVBL PSI PRELPK PGOVENRG PUM PRELKPKO PATTY PSOC PRIVATIZATION PRELSP PGOVEAIDUKNOSWGMHUCANLLHFRSPITNZ PMIG PREC PAIGH PROG PSHA PARK PETER POG PHUS PPREL PS PTERPREL PRELPGOV POV PKPO PGOVECON POUS PGOVPRELPHUMPREFSMIGELABEAIDKCRMKWMN PWBG PMAR PREM PAR PNR PRELPGOVEAIDECONEINVBEXPSCULOIIPBTIO PARMIR PGOVGM PHUH PARTM PN PRE PTE PY POLUN PPEL PDOV PGOVSOCI PIRF PGOVPM PBST PRELEVU PGOR PBTSRU PRM PRELKPAOIZ PGVO PERL PGOC PAGR PMIN PHUMR PVIP PPD PGV PRAM PINL PKPAL PTERE PGOF PINO PHAS PODC PRHUM PHUMA PREO PPA PEPFAR PGO PRGOV PAC PRESL PORG PKFK PEPR PRELP PREFA PNG PGOVPHUMKPAO PRELECON PINOCHET PFOR PGOVLO PHUMBA PRELC PREK PHUME PHJM POLINT PGOVPZ PGOVKCRM PGOVE PHALANAGE PARTY PECON PEACE PROCESS PLN PRELSW PAHO PEDRO PRELA PASS PPAO PGPV PNUM PCUL PGGV PSA PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA PGIV PRFE POGOV PEL PBT PAMQ PINF PSEPC POSTS PHUMPGOV PVOV PHSAPREL PROLIFERATION PENA PRELTBIOBA PIN PRELL PGOVPTER PHAM PHYTRP PTEL PTERPGOV PHARM PROTESTS PRELAF PKBL PRELKPAO PKNP PARMP PHUML PFOV PERM PUOS PRELGOV PHUMPTER PARAGRAPH PERURENA PBTSEWWT PCI PETROL PINSO PINSCE PQL PEREZ PBS

Browse by classification

Community resources

courage is contagious

Viewing cable 06ADDISABABA1400, ETHIOPIA: PRIME MINISTER AND BILATERAL DONORS

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs

Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
  • The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
  • The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
  • The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.

Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #06ADDISABABA1400.
Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06ADDISABABA1400 2006-05-19 09:36 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Addis Ababa
VZCZCXYZ0003
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDS #1400/01 1390936
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 190936Z MAY 06 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0659
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
UNCLAS ADDIS ABABA 001400 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF DAS YAMAMOTO AND AF/E 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV EAID PREL PHUM ET
SUBJECT: ETHIOPIA: PRIME MINISTER AND BILATERAL DONORS 
MOSTLY AGREE ON GOVERNANCE AGENDA 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  After nearly four months of donor requests for 
a high-level meeting on democratic governance, Ethiopian 
Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, senior ministers, and advisors 
met with the Charge, other donor Ambassadors, and heads of 
cooperation on May 8 to launch a dialogue on governance with 
representatives of the Donor Assistance Group (DAG).  Senior 
government officials presented their views on three pillars 
of Ethiopia,s democratic governance process, namely the 
Ethiopian Constitution, state and non-state institutions of 
democratic governance and the fostering of a culture of 
democracy in Ethiopia.  The Prime Minister and donor 
representatives agreed that there are no fundamental 
differences over the principles of democratic governance 
between Ethiopia and donor countries.  The Prime Minister and 
development partners agreed to begin dialogue on specific 
governance issues in the context of the country,s poverty 
reduction and sustainable development strategy.  All agreed 
on the importance of meeting regularly, deepening dialogue 
and building trust.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  Participants at the meeting on the Government of Ethiopia 
side included:  Prime Minister Meles, Capacity Building 
Minister Tefera, Finance and Developent Minister Sufian 
(MOFED), MOFED State Minister Makonnen and Neway Gebre-Ab, 
chief Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister.  Ambassadors 
and heads of cooperation of all bilateral donors were 
invited, and most showed up.  All bilateral donor countries 
had representation.  The GOE had insisted, despite strong 
objections from the DAG, that major multilateral institutions 
such as the World Bank, United Nations and ADB not be 
invited.  The GOE argued that multilateral donors should be 
focused on economic, rather than political, governance. 
 
----------------------------------- 
THREE COMPONENTS OF DEMOCRATIZATION 
----------------------------------- 
 
3.  The Prime Minister opened the meeting by stating that its 
purpose was to launch a dialogue on political governance with 
representatives of the DAG and to discuss areas of mutual 
interest related to governance.  Noting that some recent DAG 
working papers had asserted that the Ethiopian government and 
donor countries had different concepts of democracy, Meles 
stated that the process of democratization in Ethiopia had 
three components:  the Constitution, which served as the 
base; state and non-state institutions of democratic 
governance, which served as the primary structure; and 
lastly, Ethiopia,s culture and tradition of democracy. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
CHIEF ECONOMIC ADVISOR EXPLAINS CONSTITUTION 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
4.  Chief Economic Advisor Neway said that Ethiopia,s 
constitution provides the necessary framework for democracy 
in Ethiopia.  The Constitution clearly states that the 
country is a multi-party, parliamentary democracy in a 
federal state (Articles 31, 29, 2, 56), and delineates 
political rights and social rights, without any priority 
given to either individual rights or collective rights, he 
said.  Furthermore, the Constitution clearly indicates the 
sovereignty of the people in establishing the executive and 
legislative branches, while the judiciary is formed in 
another way.  These institutions, as well as public opinion 
(expressed through periodic elections and free media), 
provide checks and balances, he said. 
 
5.  According to Neway, key differences between the Ethiopian 
Constitution and that of other countries include: reference 
to the self-determination of peoples and nationalities, which 
allows groups to secede if they meet certain criteria; 
allowing for a multilingual state; and the unambiguous 
affirmation that land is owned by the state and the people of 
Ethiopia. 
 
------------------------------------- 
INSTITUTIONS OF DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE 
------------------------------------- 
 
6.  Minister of Capacity Building Tefera discussed democratic 
institutions associated with the State: 
 
-- Parliament:  simple majority, ruling party leads 
decision-making, opposition deserves to be heard, oversees 
the Executive branch of government; 
 
 
 
-- House of Federation:  interprets the Constitution, handles 
issues of self-determination, determines division of revenues 
and subsidies to regions, protects minority peoples rights; 
similar to European constitutional courts; 
 
-- Executive Branch:  civil service reform underway; 
 
-- Judiciary:  the Constitution guarantees an independent 
judiciary, and the government is convinced that it is 
independent.  Judicial reform has significantly improved 
efficiency in the past few years, with cases now coming 
before the court faster.  The process for appointment of 
judges in Ethiopia is consistent with that of other countries. 
 
-- Other state institutions include the Human Rights 
Commission and the Ombudsman, both mentioned in the 
Constitution and just starting; and the National Electoral 
Board. 
 
7.  Political parties:  According to Tefera, parties that do 
not respect the Constitution and rule of law are therefore 
not real political parties.  Illegal funding of political 
parties, and an undemocratic culture in Ethiopia based on 
history, were additional problem, he said.  A dialogue 
between the ruling EPRDF party and opposition parties is 
underway.  While asserting that there was a lot of 
self-criticism within the EPRDF, Tefara said the EPRDF sought 
to promote greater tolerance of broader debate and criticism 
from outside the party. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
CONCERN ABOUT TRANSPARENCY OF CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZAITONS, 
NGOS 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
8.  Tefera said the government was surprised by a recent 
study showing the large number of membership-based civil 
society organizations, including new associations of 
exporters, traders or lawyers, which are key for building 
democracy and represent the constitutional right to organize. 
 However, non-membership based organizations, mainly funded 
from abroad, are "parallel networks of international rent 
collectors," are not transparent and accountable locally, but 
rather externally, and have unreasonably high overhead costs. 
 Nevertheless, the government still thinks they have a role 
to play; differences need to be solved by a common 
understanding on an agreed-upon definition of civil society, 
he said. 
 
9.  PM Meles observed that institutionalization is central to 
democratization and to implementation of the Constitution. 
Democratic institutions in Ethiopia are modeled on those of 
other countries, he said.  Meles acknowledged, however, that 
the GOE,s view of non-membership based civil society 
organizations that are externally accountable and part of 
parallel networks may differ from donor countries, concept 
of NGOs.  NGOs played an important role in the success of 
Ethiopia,s armed struggle against the Dergue, Meles said, 
but civil society and NGOs are not the same.  Civil society 
organizations are critical for democracy if they are 
membership-based and accountable to their members.  NGOs, on 
the other hand, are only accountable to funding agencies, not 
to the country where they work.  NGOs bring expertise and 
funds, but should not be involved in democratic discourse, 
Meles said.  There is no space for such NGOs in the 
democratic process, he added. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
MELES DISCUSSES "CULTURE OF DEMOCRACY" 
-------------------------------------- 
 
10.  PM Meles said building a culture of democracy in 
Ethiopia was a long-term endeavor, not willed overnight, and 
depended on civic education, media, and management of key 
events in a nation,s history.  Curriculum development for 
introducing civic education at all educational levels, 
largely modeled on the U.S. system, has been underway, but 
implementation was weak, he said. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
CONCERN ABOUT "COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE" MEDIA 
---------------------------------------- 
 
11.  Meles said media was an important forum for debate and 
 
dialogue, if done in a civilized manner.  Media can provide 
information essential for engagement and participation of the 
community, inform the public, and serve as an instrument of 
accountability.  On the other hand, media could also be 
counter-productive, and thus was a two-edged sword. 
Counter-productive media could be a source of disinformation, 
could incite hatred and prejudice, or could be a forum for 
destructive propaganda, Meles said. 
 
12.  Media problems arise from using informal or illegal 
channels of funding, Meles said.  As formal regulations have 
not worked, because not all stakeholders have been involved, 
informal regulations, through a culture of responsible and 
responsive journalism, are needed, he added.  Meles cited a 
culture of intolerance among some media: some private media 
were established by journalists expelled from public media 
after the fall of the Dergue, and had links to various 
political parties, he said.  According to Meles, the way 
forward includes bringing together the public and private 
media for discussions to achieve optimum results, 
implementing and upgrading public media guidelines, improving 
the informal and formal regulations on the private media, and 
moving cautiously on opening up electronic media. 
 
13.  Key historical events, and how they are managed and 
explained, are critical to building democratic culture, Meles 
said.  For example, the government set up an independent 
investigation of 2003 events in Gambella that partially 
contradicted the government,s position.  Based on the 
investigation, the government prosecuted and jailed security 
force members, he said, which served as the beginning of a 
tradition of independent investigations to verify facts.  A 
second example was the aftermath of the 2005 elections, which 
Meles said was an attack on the Constitution and rule of law. 
 The government response was to enforce the rule of law while 
trying to address legitimate concerns of opposition parties. 
 
14.  Ethiopia,s concept of democracy was consistent with 
other countries, democratic norms and principles, Meles 
concluded.  While the Constitution was neutral with regard to 
individual and group rights, the ruling party believes that 
individual rights are key, and form the basis for group 
rights, he said.  Ethnic federalism and self-determination 
are found in other countries, such as the Quebec province of 
Canada.  The ruling party,s views on the fundamentals of 
democracy are consistent with the norms and rules of the 
Constitution, Meles said. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
DONORS HAVE "RENT SEEKING" RELATIONSHIP WITH AFRICA 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
15.  The differences between Ethiopia and donor countries are 
mainly in economic policy, Meles said.  The "new liberal 
paradigm" has as its fundamental premise is that many African 
states are involved with rent seeking or corruption, and 
therefore African governments must be shackled and their 
roles marginalized.  Thus, NGOs and other non-state actors 
receive support for service provision and other roles. 
Marginalizing the African state does not bring about economic 
development or democratic governance, Meles said. 
 
16.  African states and donors have an inherently 
undemocratic "rent-seeking" relationship, Meles asserted, 
with donors buying policies in return for aid.  The two 
beneficiaries of the rent-seeking are African states who get 
the funds, and NGOs who set up parallel programs.  If African 
states are committed to democracy and economic development, 
they should not have to sell policies, he said; this 
relationship externalizes accountability and squanders the 
opportunity for the countries to learn.  Good policies should 
not be bought, or be seen to be bought, he said.  Government 
should be accountable to the people, parliament, and other 
representative bodies, but instead feels obliged to be 
accountable to donors, Meles said. 
 
17.  On behalf of the donor representatives, EC Ambassador 
Tim Clarke responded that donors believe the GOE is showing 
encouraging signs, such as review of Parliamentary rules and 
procedures, inter-party dialogue, international review of 
media laws, plans for NEBE institutional development, and the 
new five-year Plan for Accelerated and Sustained Development 
to End Poverty (PASDEP) debate in Parliament.  Canadian 
Ambassador Boulanger called for a holistic approach to 
governance, to include political, economic, social, 
 
environmental and corporate aspects of governance.  The DFID 
Country Director provided specific suggestions to move the 
process forward, including:  having the "Neway group" meet as 
soon as possible to discuss specifics of the governance 
agenda under the PASDEP umbrella, holding semiannual fora 
with the PM, including multilateral organizations in future 
dialogue as they are DAG members, and developing a MOU with 
clear principles and understandings of democratic governance. 
 
18.  Meles said that while there are no major fundamental 
differences in our conceptualization of democracy, there are 
some concepts that could lead to misunderstanding, such as 
the misunderstood notion of "revolutionary democracy."  He 
said the World Bank changed its assistance approach to 
Ethiopia because of alleged backsliding in democratization, 
which was very confusing to the GOE.  The government may have 
allowed or encouraged this confusion by allowing the World 
Bank to get involved with discussions on political 
governance, he said; thus, the World Bank should not be 
involved in discussions on political governance, since it is 
not part of their mandate. 
 
-------------------------- 
MELES DISCUSSES EPRDF ROLE 
-------------------------- 
 
19.  As a left-of-center party, the EPRDF joined the 
progressive democratic network, Meles said.  Like European 
labor parties, the EPRDF believes the state must be 
pro-active and can play a role to promote equity and 
equality; globalization can be a force for good if it is made 
inclusive; and constitutions are the basis for democracy. 
Unlike European labor parties, however, the EPRDF emphasizes 
equitable growth rather than redistributing state resources 
for the benefit of all, especially the poor.  In Ethiopia, 
Meles continued, there is nothing to be redistributed.  Meles 
added that another major difference is that the European 
parties have labor unions and other groups as the social 
basis of their movements, whereas in Ethiopia the social 
basis of the EPRDF movement is the "peasantry." 
 
20.  According to Meles, the distinguishing characteristic of 
the EPRDF is that it sees Ethiopia as a democratic developing 
state, and the state plays a critical development role. 
Revolutionary democracy in Ethiopia is defined by its 
democratic development agenda: transforming political economy 
and development by measured private sector and other 
stakeholder expansion, and slowly opening political space to 
allow non rent-seeking organizations to expand.  The second 
defining characteristic is the peasant-based social focus of 
the party, Meles said. 
 
21.  In 2000, the EPRDF had a split in party ranks, Meles 
said.  Since then, revolutionary democracy has been precisely 
defined, with positions and definitions  published in 2001. 
Later, the party articulated policies and strategies in 
detail, such as the industrialization policy, based on the 
party definition of revolutionary democracy.  Government 
positions are articulated in the policies and strategies of 
the ruling party.  The government is committed to 
consultations, but at the end of the day, the government 
makes the final decisions, he said. 
 
22.  As an emerging democracy, Ethiopia has flaws, but is 
moving in the right direction, Meles said.  It took centuries 
for other democratic countries to develop democratic 
institutions and culture.  Meles concluded by calling for 
smaller group discussions on specifics, while continuing some 
discussion on fundamentals.  Political turbulence should not 
affect the IFIs decisions on a selective basis, which is what 
happened with the World Bank, he said.  He claimed that the 
government had agreed with the World Bank that political 
governance is not in the Bank,s mandate. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
23.  (SBU) This meeting represented the first time that the 
PM and his senior government and party leaders had addressed 
democratic governance questions, as well as conceptual issues 
of concern such as the EPRDF,s "revolutionary democracy", as 
well as the timing of political openings and democratic 
institution-building.  Although the meeting lasted over three 
hours, this was clearly just the first step in continuing 
 
dialogue and debate with the donors on the broad range of 
governance issues, especially human rights, media, 
differentiating party and state, and free and fair elections. 
 The Government clearly wants predictability on donor flows 
to plan development strategies and priorities, while the 
donors clearly want consistent respect for democratic 
governance principles and institutions.  While there was 
broad agreement by all that there are no fundamental 
differences over the principles of democratic governance, 
there are still concerns about the commitment of the GOE to 
actually implement the rights, institutions and democratic 
culture as expressed in the Constitution and by the PM.  We 
now have a forum to build on for further high-level 
discussion, however, a very positive development. 
 
24.  (SBU) The PM,s remarks about the rent-seeking 
relationship between donors and some African countries show 
his pique at the abrupt ending of direct budget support (DBS) 
by several large donors in November 2005.  His comments on 
NGOs may have been more severe because of donors, insistence 
that strict accountability and a role for NGOs be included in 
the new Protecting Basic Services (PBS) program, which is 
being set up in lieu of DBS.  Post is encouraged to see the 
PM,s support for member-based civil society organizations 
and their role in democratic discourse.  Three years ago, the 
government did not approve the registration of truly 
independent member associations, and now they have a seat at 
the table. 
HUDDLESTON