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Viewing cable 08ADDISABABA3381, ENGAGING PARLIAMENT ON CSO LAW

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
08ADDISABABA3381 2008-12-18 08:15 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Addis Ababa
VZCZCXRO9324
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHDS #3381/01 3530815
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 180815Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3126
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEWMFD/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEPADJ/CJTF HOA PRIORITY
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADDIS ABABA 003381 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KDEM PGOV EAID PHUM ET
SUBJECT: ENGAGING PARLIAMENT ON CSO LAW 
 
REF: A. ADDIS 3100 (AND PREVIOUS) 
     B. ADDIS 2482 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
1. (SBU) With the draft Charities and Societies Proclamation 
(CSO Law) submitted to Parliament on December 2, Ambassador 
and Pol/Econ Chief met with the Speaker of Parliament and 
Chairmen and representatives from the Standing Committees on 
Foreign Affairs, Legal Affairs, and Social Affairs on 
December 15 to press for amendments to the restrictive law by 
the legislature.  Parliament will hold public hearings on the 
bill on December 24 and 25 before considering amendments and 
passing the bill into law before the end of the Ethiopian 
month (January 7).  Speaker of Parliament Teshome Toga 
asserted that "there is no doubt that the law will pass 
because there is already consensus within the ruling party." 
 
STRATEGICALLY PLANNED PUBLIC DIALOGUE 
------------------------------------- 
 
2. (SBU) Claiming to want what the Speaker called a "robust 
public dialogue," Parliament has scheduled an "unprecedented" 
two days of public hearings before the joint standing 
committees on December 24 and 25.  Without identifying the 
parties invited to attend, Foreign Affairs Standing Committee 
Chair Ambassador Mohammed Ali noted that university and 
teachers' groups had been invited as well as experts from the 
Ministries of Justice and Foreign Affairs and the Prime 
Minister's Office.  When asked whether the timing of the 
hearings may undercut a "robust" public hearing due to the 
likelihood that senior civil society organizations' officials 
will be away on holiday or school vacation, Speaker Teshome 
noted that "the hearing is for Ethiopians and will be in 
Amharic." As Ethiopians are largely Orthodox Christians who 
celebrate Christmas on January 7, Teshome argued that the 
dates should not be problematic. 
 
3. (SBU) Despite previous discussions between USAID, other 
donors, and Parliament to provide technical assistance on 
public consultations and hearings via technical support, 
Speaker Teshome quickly refused technical assistance provided 
through Women's Campaign International (WCI) for these 
hearings.  Teshome argued "no, we do not want assistance for 
this bill; we look to WCI for more general capacity building." 
 
EXPECT A LAW SOON 
----------------- 
 
4. (SBU) Following the December 24 and 25 public hearings, 
the three Standing Committees will convene to discuss the 
bill and propose any amendments.  These will then be 
presented to the full parliament where any member can 
introduce his/her own amendments.  Ambassador presented the 
Speaker and committee members a technical analysis of the 
bill highlighting potential areas which may spur unintended 
consequences for foreign assistance and which offered minor 
changes that would make the bill less objectionable without 
violating the main tenets driving the bill.  The Speaker 
replied that he did not expect major amendments noting that 
"there is no doubt that the law will pass because there is 
already consensus within the EPRDF."  Several committee 
members, however, actually snickered when accepting the 
document, suggesting that the very notion of parliament 
amending the bill was unrealistic. 
 
5. (SBU) The Ambassador's warning that as the new U.S. 
Administration' transition team begins devising its foreign 
policy, the passage of a restrictive law may not cast 
Ethiopia in the best light and could prompt unintended 
consequences.  The Speaker replied by noting that the law was 
"not the constitution, so it can be amended later based on 
consequences of implementation." 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
6. (SBU) Despite final efforts to engage Parliament to revise 
some of the more egregious elements of a highly restrictive 
law, the Speaker and Committee members' reactions and 
responses demonstrated that the legislature has no intention 
of seriously considering the CSO Law.  These reactions were 
also consistent with reports from contacts close to the 
 
ADDIS ABAB 00003381  002 OF 002 
 
 
ruling party that the ruling party has recently convened its 
parliamentarians to indoctrinate them on the party's version 
of reality in which civil society groups are "neo-liberal 
rent seekers" doing the bidding of the west to undermine the 
ruling party's democratic and development agenda.  As was 
done in the case of civil society detainees in 2007 and a 
contentious press freedom case also scheduled for December 24 
this year, the timing of the December 24 and 25 public 
hearings appears to be a blatant attempt to minimize 
international attention and scrutiny by timing open debate of 
a contentious issue to coincide with western holidays when 
foreign observers are expected to be minimal.  As it is clear 
that Parliament intends to pass the CSO Law in the opening 
days of 2009, Embassy Addis Ababa again encourages Washington 
to prepare to issue a public statement as proposed in Ref. B 
in response to its passage.  The Ambassador discussed the 
meetings with the EU ambassadors, particularly the UK 
Ambassador, since the UK, French and U.S. Ambassadors spoke 
privately with the Prime Minister on changes necessary.  Our 
EU colleagues were not pleased with the energy expended with 
trying to make changes and having a bill which in essence 
reverts back to the original bill and makes the penalties for 
administrative lapses very severe.  This will force NGOs to 
re-evaluate whether they will stay in Ethiopia or move 
operations off-shore.  End Comment. 
YAMAMOTO