DLA lobbyist Embarrassed at Berhanu's EU Hearing

By Kinfu Assefa [EMF]

June 27, 2008 (Brussels) The European Union parliamentary hearing was held in Brussels yesterday on ever worsening political and human rights situation in Ethiopia, EMF source said. Dr. Berhanu Nega, Mayor-elect of Addis Ababa, and leader of G7 movement presented his well prepared report at the hearing.

European parliament's committees of the Human rights, Development and ACP-EU representatives have attended the hearing. Representatives of the International crisis group and several Ethiopians have also attended the hearing. Meles Zenawi's representatives didn't dare to appear and face Dr. Berhanu. However, the Zenawi regime sent two from its multi-million paid lobby firm, DLA Piper to shamefully represent it.

"I am from lobby firm DLA Piper. I have a question to you and Ms Ana Gomes. Why don't you fight the government in Ethiopia, like Professor Mesfin does, than from Diaspora?" Zenawi's lobbyist Asked.

The presence of DLA Piper lobbyist at such hearing was very strange. "We have never seen you in any of our sessions before," The UK Labor Party spokesperson and Co-President of the African, Caribbean and Pacific / EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, Glenys Kinnock said the lobbyist. Glenys has also backed the recent Human Rights watch report that criticizes the EU executives to be silent on the crimes against Humanity being committed by Meles Zenawi regime.

"In Portugal, we also had the same brutal dictatorial regime as the Meles Zenawi's," Honorable Anna Gomes responded to the lobbyist. "We fought it both from inside and out side." As a chief European observer mission, Ms. Anna witnessed once again that Kinijit leaders have won the elections. "Berhanu would have been in power. But the regime put him in jail." Anna added.

"You were doing everything to kill HR 2003," Dr. Berhanu responded to the lobbyist. "You earn money by defending a corrupt and criminal regime at the expense of the misery of millions of the Ethiopian poor." He added. Berhau further elaborated the crimes of the regime until the lobbyist made an apology. "We don't want to fight a regime with in the rule of the game created in favour of it. We don't want to fight in a frame work of what the regime wants us to be." Berhanu said.

It was then apparent that the DLA lobbyists were not in position to defend a corrupt and criminal regime. They seemed to have been very much embarrassed. They finally appreciated Dr. Berhanu for his commitment and made an apology.

A high level talk was also held on Tuesday, 25 June 2008 with top level EU executives. "He met with Javier SOLANA and Louis Michel office. It was an extremely high level talk," source said. In the meetings, Berhanu warned the European Union about the looming danger because of their wrong foreign policy in the East Africa region.