The Monthly Publication of The Ethiopian Embassy in London 

ETHIOPIAN  NEWS

Volume 4 Number 4 February 2005 On-line version   

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PM Meles attends Commission for Africa meeting

- Ethiopian Prime Minister in London for final meeting

The Commissioners gather for the third and final meeting, with Blair (centre) Meles (to the right) and UK Chancellor Gordon Brown (to his left)

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has urged British Prime Minister Tony Blair to persuade the world’s richest countries to help tackle Africa’s problems. The Ethiopian Premier was speaking at a press conference at the conclusion of the third meeting of the Commission for Africa, which was held in Lancaster House in London on Thursday 24^th February 2005.

"It is very important that Mr Blair does his homework with his colleagues in the G8," Prime Minister Meles told reporters after the final meeting of the Commission.

At the press conference, Prime Minister Blair described the report as “brutally frank about the reality” but hoped that it would also be “idealistic about what can be done if the will is there.”

"It's an ambitious project we have set ourselves and you will have to judge on its outcome when we publish it. What we have tried to do is to come together, commissioners from different parts of the world, different walks of life, to see if it's possible to reach a consensus of agreement on what can be done."

Prime Minister Blair also announced that the Commission’s report would be published in both Addis Ababa and London on 11^th March – the Comic Relief charity fundraising day here in the UK.

The British Prime Minister has pledged to use the UK’s presidency of the G8 and the EU this year to address the problems of Africa, and will discuss the final report from the Commission – which will include comprehensive recommendations to change the lives of Africans through good governance, more development aid, debt relief as well as the creation of a fair trading environment for African countries on the international market – at the G8 meeting in Gleneagles in July.

Over the past year, the commissioners have been engaged in analysing why previous efforts to solve African problems failed, and have looked into fresh and viable mechanisms to deal with them.

Prime Minister Meles is one of the 17 commissioners of the Commission for Africa, which was established under the chairmanship of Tony Blair early last year.

At a press conference held at the conclusion of the meeting, Prime Minister Blair praised his Ethiopian counterpart, and noted that Prime Minister Meles was chosen as a commissioner on his personal merit and for his commitment to reform and development in Ethiopia.

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 Ethiopia on track to achieve Millennium Development Goals

Ethiopia is on the right track to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, according to Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Professor Jeffrey D Sachs.

After meeting with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on 28^th February 2005, Professor Sachs told journalists that the policies of the Ethiopian government in conjunction with on-going development activities in agriculture, health, education and other sectors would help achieve significant progress and enable the country to meet the Millennium Goals (MDGs) within a short period.

He went on to call for an increase in the development assistance given by the international community in order to build upon Ethiopia’s achievements further. During discussions with Professor Sachs, Prime Minister Meles said Ethiopia had designed clear policies and strategies with a view to ensuring speedy development and the achievement of the MDGs, which he believed could be successfully met.

Professor Jeffrey Sachs is internationally renowned for his work as economic advisor to governments in Latin America, Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Asia and Africa. He is also highly regarded for his work with international agencies on poverty reduction, debt cancellation for the poorest countries and disease control, and for the 200 scholarly articles he has authored or co-authored. He is Professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University.

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Prime Minister Meles visits the UK

- Ethiopian Premier meets Think-Tank and Community representatives

During the meeting with the Ethiopian Prime Minister, the members of the Ethiopia focused Think-Tank group, a forum of friends of Ethiopia, said they had been actively supporting Ethiopia’s education and health sectors.

The Think-Tank group, which includes journalist and broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby, TV producer Carol Haslam, photographer Fritz von der Schulenberg, former UK Ambassador to Ethiopia Myles Wickstead, and other leading individuals from international organisations, was established in November last year in collaboration with the Embassy of Ethiopia in London.

Ambassador Fisseha Adugna reported that Special advisor to the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organisation Geoffrey Lipman, a fellow member of the Think-Tank, has devised a plan which has been accepted by the Ethiopian government that would enable the country to bring about significant improvement in its tourism industry. 

Ambassador Fisseha also elaborated on the roles of the other members of the Think-Tank, revealing that Irene Beard’s Book-Link charity had so far sent more than half a million educational books to Ethiopia and hopes to send a further 150,000-200,000 more books this year. Professor Richard Beard – the renowned Imperial College professor – is working in conjunction with six institutes of higher learning to improve the education curriculum of Ethiopian medical schools. The Prime Minister also heard about the recent visit by UK stage and television actress Maureen Lipman and Think-Tank member - the well-known photographer Fritz Von der Schulenburg – who researched articles and photographed classical tourist sights during their stay.

Prime Minister Meles commended the goodwill and support of the Think-Tank and said the Ethiopian government would provide the necessary support to their efforts.

After the Think-Tank meeting, the Prime Minister met with members of the Ethiopian National Consensus Forum and the Ethiopian Business community in Britain, with whom he discussed a range of national issues.

The assembled Ethiopians questioned the Prime Minister on issues relating to food security, agricultural products, water resources development and investment.

 
Prime Minister Meles and his entourage left for home on the evening of February 24^th, after concluding their visit to the UK, the fourth in the last two years.

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Bumper Harvest for Ethiopia

According to a joint UN report, Ethiopia is enjoying a bumper harvest from the 2004 main season with projections forecasting a 24% increase in productivity on 2003. The 14.27 million tonnes produced in 2004 not only surpasses the 11.49 millions tonnes from the previous year, but it is also 21% above the average for the past five years.

The report, which was published by UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) on 28th January, attributed the increase to an extended main season rainfall, increased use of fertilizer and improved seeds, particularly wheat and maize.

Some pastoral areas in eastern and southern Ethiopia suffered from erratic and poorly distributed rains, about which the report raised some concerns.

The emergency food requirements were estimated at 387,500 tonnes, with a further 89,000 tonnes of fortified blended food and vegetable oil required for a targeted supplement programme for children under five years of age and pregnant women. This compares favourably with the relief food requirement in 2004 of 956,000 tonnes.

"For the first time in the history of food aid assistance in Ethiopia, there is a different response to the needs of acutely undernourished people," said Georgia Shaver, WFP's Country Director in Ethiopia.

The WFP will distribute food to affected communities in exchange for their undertaking development activities, such as land rehabilitation and water and soil conservation initiatives.

Agriculture is the main economic activity in Ethiopia, contributing to 45 percent of GDP with some 80 percent of the population earning a living directly or indirectly from agricultural activities.

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Ethiopia can achieve food self-sufficiency by 2007 – Meles

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi expressed his belief that Ethiopia may achieve food self-sufficiency by 2007 during an interview conducted by the BBC. The Prime Minister was taking part in a special edition of the Talking Point programme, presented by Mike Wooldridge, in which he answered a series of questions on a number of subjects posed by members of the public from around the world.

Prime Minister Meles said that despite some scepticism, he believed that the country’s successful agricultural growth could be maintained, leaving “no reason why we should not grow enough food to feed ourselves”, making the key issue in future one of the availability of resources to allow the government to provide safety-net programmes for the poor.

The Ethiopian Premier also answered questions on a number of other topics fielded to him.

When asked about the effect of Ethiopia’s land policy on the country’s agricultural productivity, the Prime Minister said that all independent studies showed that an overwhelming majority of Ethiopian farmers wanted to keep the current policy (which allows tenants the indefinite use-right of land that can be passed on through inheritance, but not sold) and suggested that it was actually the support mechanisms – such as the marketing of produce and poor availability of imports – that effected productivity in a negative way. He spoke of the new safety-net programme, of which the voluntary land resettlement programme is a key element.

“Resettlement programmes have not had in the past a good reputation and therefore we hesitated before even starting the process....[however] people were resettling on their own and doing it in a slightly destructive manner because it was not organised, so we said if you wish to resettle we together with you can do it in a manner which is not destructive.”

On the subject of the border dispute with Eritrea, Prime Minister Meles said that poverty was a big problem for both countries, so it is important to normalise relations through dialogue, if it is to be tackled effectively. He pointed out that the “decision of the boundary commission does not preclude dialogue on the part of the two sides to help it address anomalies and impracticalities” and that there was always room for adjustment in implementation.

The special edition of the BBC’s Talking Point programme was broadcast on Sunday 16th January on BBC World and BBC World Service Radio.

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Democracy ‘Evolving’ says Meles

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has said that the ruling party – the EPRDF – will work alongside opposition parties and the international community to ensure “a flawless election” takes place in May. He made the comments while being interviewed in Addis Ababa at the end of January.

“Obviously, democracy in Ethiopia, as on the rest of the continent, is a work in progress. But we have a very recognisably democratic system. I think it is evolving and evolving in the right direction,” the Prime Minister said.

“We have over sixty opposition parties and most of them have so far indicated that they want to participate. Over the past two to three months we've had intensive debates through the public media on issues of concern to the Ethiopian electorate. My expectation is that we will continue these debates right up to election day”

The Prime Minister described suggestions that opposition parties had insufficient access to the media as ‘nonsense’.

“There are over 80 magazines and newspapers in Ethiopia. Most of them espouse the ideals of the opposition parties. In any case, we don’t control access to this media,” he said. “As far as the public media is concerned, every Sunday for several hours we have had debates about the issues that the electorate is concerned about. For the election process, the Ministry of Information has allocated air time access to the parties. The ruling party, which has well over 85% of the seats in Parliament has been given 46% of air time. The opposition, with less than 12 seats in Parliament have been given over 50% of the air time. If anybody has cause to complain, it would be the ruling party.”

The full interview can be found on the www.allafrica.com website.

● The Ethiopian National Electoral Board has announced that more than 20 million voters have already registered from across the country for the forthcoming elections scheduled for May. More than 8 million voters have registered in the Oromia State, with more than 6 million in Amhara. There have been at least 1,105,000 in Addis Ababa, where the number of registrations has already exceeded that of 2000 by 250,000. The registration process began on 9^th January across Ethiopia, with the exception of Somali State where voting will take place a few months after May. The National Electoral Board has also reported that the process of candidate registration is well underway, with 31 female candidates running for seats in the House of People’s Representatives from the Addis Ababa region alone, and a further 103 female candidates registered to stand for seats on the City Council.

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Ethiopia Hosts Largest Pastoralist Gathering

Ethiopia has hosted the world’s largest ever gathering of pastoralists, which discussed the challenges of preserving their way of life at a unique international conference in Turmi village, South Omo. More than two hundred herders from twenty-three countries attended the five-day Global Pastoralist Gathering which focused on how governments and institutions can recognise their needs and interests, how they can influence change and how international programmes can support pastoralists’ way of life, governance and culture.

The gathering which began on 29^th January, was the largest of its kind, with Spanish shepherds, Mongolian camel owners and herders from many countries including Israel, India, Iran, Canada, Argentina, the UK and many African countries meeting under tents in a traditional meeting site of the local Hamar pastoralists. Representatives from governments and UN agencies and universities were also in attendance. While similar meetings have been held in the past, none have attempted to draw together herders from so many countries.

“It is a way of life and livelihood that some may argue is not viable in today's world and, often, it is believed we are marginalised from the political processes and neglected by the power centres - leading to poverty," said Dido Guyo, an elder of the Borena cattle herders from southern Ethiopia. "Despite this, pastoralists have found ways of countering these forces and have developed their means of production and are now insisting on their rights."

Participants urged all governments to change their attitudes and suggested that by supporting local and international pastoralists’ organisations, great steps could be taken to achieve the Millennium Development Goals set for 2015.

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Sanaa Forum expresses support for Ethiopia

The Sudanese and Yemeni counterparts of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, Presidents Oma Hassan Al-Bashir and Ali Abdullah Saleh, expressed their support for the new five point peace plan proposed by the Ethiopian Government to resolve the border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea.  The two leaders called upon Eritrea to quickly enter into dialogue with Ethiopia, which they said would enable agreement on a sustainable peace. The support from Ethiopia’s neighbours took the form of one of the sixteen resolutions passed at the conclusion of third summit of the Sanaa Forum for Cooperation, which took place in Khartoum on 27^th and 28^th December.

Prime Minister Meles backed calls for the Sanaa Forum to be enlarged to include Djibouti, Somalia and Eritrea. At a news conference, Meles said that the forum was ‘incomplete’ without the neighbouring countries.

“We welcome the initiative.  We share the view that this forum is incomplete unless the other members of the family join it.  We share the view of President Saleh that the other members of the family should join us, as soon as possible” he said.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and President Saleh also talked of the need for a comprehensive agreement in the Sudan, and called on the international community to play greater role in the reconstruction efforts in the war-torn country.

The Sanaa Forum aims to bring about prosperity by working for common peace and development.

The first summit was held in the Yemeni capital in October 2002, and the second in Addis Ababa in December 2003. The Yemen was chosen as host for the fourth Sanaa forum.

● Ethiopia’s Border Initiative has received more support from across the world. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan welcomed the initiative in a statement, saying the normalisation of relations could contribute in a major way to economic and social development in both countries, as well as to that of the whole region."

In a meeting with Prime Minister Meles on 13^th January 2005, the UN Special Envoy to Ethiopia and Eritrea, Lloyd Axworthy said the proposal was “important and needed to be supported.”

The Russian Government has also praised the proposal, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China said that it “sincerely hopes that the two countries can make joint efforts to dispel differences as early as possible and restore neighbourly amity.”

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ALSO IN THE NEWS

● The United States and Italy have both signed debt cancellation agreements with Ethiopia which write-off US $429 million owed by the African country. The US cancelled $72.6 million of debt, which is equal to 628 million Birr, while Italy wrote-off US $356 million of debt which, according to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, represented 100% of the debt owed by Ethiopia.

● Latest developments on the return of the Axum obelisk to Ethiopia from Italy indicate that the monument will be transported over three journeys in March and April and will be re-erected at a later date. Celebrations for the return of the obelisk are due to take place in May.

organisation has programmes running in more than 65 countries, including Ethiopia, where one such programme has seen 775,000 people receive treatment for Trachoma.

● Two Ethiopians have won recognition for their efforts to improve the quality of life in their country through the use of natural, human-made and cultural resources. Dr Tewolde Gebre Ezhabier, the Director of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), and Selleshi Demissie, creator of the Gash Abera Molla Project, were both winners at the 2004 Green Apple Environment Awards which took place in November at the House of Commons in London.The awards are part of an international campaign to recognise, reward and promote environmental best practice around the world.

● The Oromia Coffee Farmer Cooperatives’ Union in association with Oxfam, has opened two coffee shops in London. The ‘Progreso’ coffee bars, in London’s Covent Garden and on Portobello Road with more to follow in Spitalfields and in Edinburgh, are the first in a chain which aims to allow growers to profit a guaranteed fair price directly from the success of the business. More details are available on the www.progreso.org.uk website.

● Abyssinia Infinite, a cross-cultural collaboration between producer Bill Laswell and Ethiopian singer Ejigayhu ‘Gigi’ Shibabaw, have announced a six date tour of the UK starting in May 2005.  The group, which has been the subject of much acclaim and were runners-up for the Critics Award in the 2003 BBC Awards for World Music, will be performing on the following dates: Saturday 14^th May Brighton Gardner Arts Centre, Sunday 15^th May Coventry Warwick Arts Centre, Monday 16^th May Totnes Dartington Hall, Tuesday 17^th May London Queen Elizabeth Hall, Thursday 19^th May Gateshead The Sage Gateshead, and Friday 20^th May Manchester RNCM.

● Two agreements have been signed with the World Bank that will provide US $65 million in loans to invest in higher education and communications technology in Ethiopia. The agreement provides $40 million for the expansion of quality higher education, with the balance financing the implementation of information and communications technology reforms.

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Addis Chamber holds 9^th International Trade Fair

The 9th Addis Chamber International Trade Fair took place between 17th and 23rd February at the Addis Ababa Exhibition Centre. The event – a forum for business people to promote new products, meet prospective business partners and share information on the latest technology and investment opportunities - attracted 263 exhibitors from 31 countries in Africa, Europe, Asia, North America and the Middle East.

The biggest trade fair of its kind, it was organised by the Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce under the theme of ‘enhancing competitiveness’. Amongst those products on display were machines and equipment, industrial and handicraft products and information on investment opportunities.

According to State Minister for Trade and Industry Fantaye Biftu, the fair “plays an important role in promoting trade and investment and in creating long lasting business relationships between countries and business communities.”

Minister Fantaye said the government was increasing its support to the annual event which was growing in international prominence - as demonstrated by the number of countries and organisations taking part – as part of their quest to promote trade and investment. This year 130 exhibitors from  foreign markets and 133 from Ethiopia took part, among which were included Sebeta Agro industry, Awash International Bank, MOENCO, Ethiopian Insurance Corporation, the Port of Djibouti, United Insurance Company, Nib Insurance Company and a shared stand sponsored by UK Trade and Investment, the British Embassy in Addis and the British Council. The United States booth at the Trade Fair was opened by Ambassador Aurelia Brazeal, marking the first time the US has participated in this annual event.

The Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce has organised a 'specialised’ Trade Fair in Agriculture and Food (AGRIFEX Ethiopia 2005), with the theme of Agriculture for Growth, from June 2-6, 2005.

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Ethiopia to take its place in World Exposition 2005

Ethiopia is to take part in EXPO 2005, a global intercultural exchange in Aichi, Japan. The country will have a 50 square-metre pavilion which will aim to promote tourism and trade as well as demonstrate the country’s investment potential.

Speaking on 13^th January Habtesilassie Tafesse of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Ethiopia’s participation in EXPO 2005 would “help change the wrongly perceived image of the country in the world” as well as promote trade and investment.  The pavilion will also feature promotional material and activities to draw attention to Ethiopia’s coffee, leather, floriculture, cereal, oil seeds and handcraft goods, alongside posters of tourist attractions, music and the coffee ceremony. Each participating country will have an allocated space in what is to be termed the Global Common, each connected by walkways on which visitors can tour the pavilions from around the world. Many of the participating countries will hold special events to celebrate their presence at the World Exposition in special National Days. Ethiopia’s National Day will be 16^th May.

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Revenues Increase in Six Months

The Ethiopian Customs Authority (ECA) and Federal Inland Revenue Authority have announced increases in the amounts of revenue collected in the last six months.

Figures released on 29^th January, show that the ECA collected 2.8 billion Birr from tax, duty and non-tax revenues, 116 million Birr more than in the same period last year. ECA Head of Public Relations Kibru Lakew said part of the increase could be attributed to the reforms and improvements in the ECA as well as an intensive campaign at major check points to combat contraband trade.

The Inland Revenue Authority also announced its revenue figures for the last six months, with over 2.5 billion Birr raised through various direct and indirect taxes, an increase of 255.8 million Birr on the same period of the previous year.

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Development Bank of Ethiopia Notice to Investors

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US Talk Show Host Visits Addis

American talk show host Oprah Winfrey paid a one-day visit to Ethiopia to open a training centre named after her at the Addis Ababa Fistula hospital.

The 1.2 million birr extension, which was constructed on land donated by the Addis Ababa City Government, was built after the former actress gave US $ 450,000 to Hospital Executive Director, Dr Christine Hamlin. The extension is to house a training centre, two clinics, and a dormitory for on-duty doctors.

The Mayor of Addis Ababa Government Ato Arkebe Equbay attended the ceremony, at which he said the extension “would not have been possible without Oprah Winfrey's generosity and efforts to draw international public attention about the condition of Fistula patients.”

He described the work on the hospital as an “example of the city government’s commitment to improve the condition of women in Addis Ababa in all areas of life.”

“Now more than any time, we are determined to create an environment where women are empowered and their specific needs are addressed,” the Mayor said.

Mrs Winfrey also announced her plan to open a ‘great’ school for girls in Addis. It is believed she will be involved with the City Government’s plan to open 5000 classrooms, for which support will be required from public funds and the private sector.

A function in City Hall was held in her honour on 12^th December to show the city’s appreciation and gratitude for her efforts to raise international awareness of the plight of fistula patients, during which Mayor Arkebe gave her the key to Addis Ababa for her contribution.  An edition of the Oprah Winfrey Show devoted to the work of Dr Hamlin, was broadcast in the US in January 2004 with an appeal to raise funds for the fistula hospital. Dr Hamlin has helped more than 25,000 patients who have experienced the pain and suffering of living with the impact of fistula birth.

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Africa Unites in Addis for Bob Marley 60th

Ethiopia was chosen by the Marley family as the host for the official event, which has been organised by the Bob Marley Foundation, the African Union, UNICEF, the World Bank and the United Nations amongst others, as part of a month-long series of events which have been dubbed Africa Unite. It is the first time Marley’s birthday has been celebrated outside Jamaica.

Attendees of the concert came from around the world to Ethiopia, from Israel, Spain, South America and the UK. Many of those who gathered for the concert wore t-shirts emblazoned with portraits of Marley or hand-bands and jewellery decorated with the Ethiopian national flag and Rastafarian colours of green, yellow and red. Organisers estimate more than 100,000 people attended the event.

Marley, who was behind songs such as Exodus and One Love, helped popularise the Rastafarian religion, which venerates the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, and regarded the country as his spiritual home because of his religious beliefs.

Rita Marley, Bob’s widow, said at the event “with the African Union, Addis Ababa is the capital of Africa and therefore a very symbolic place.”

Marley’s son, Ziggy, said Ethiopia was of ‘huge importance’ to his father as the cradle of civilisation. “This is where all of us come from. That’s science, not religious rhetoric.”

“The message today is that Africa should unite. This is what we’re focusing on. We know Africa’s history is great and its future is even greater.”

Earlier in the day, Addis Ababa City Mayor Arkebe Equbay and Rita Marley attended a dedication ceremony during which the site in front of the Imperial Hotel was named Bob Marley Square, and a tree was planted on African Diaspora Street.

“Bob Marley loved Ethiopia. He used the struggle of the Ethiopian people from freedom as a great inspiration for his work. He loved Ethiopia’s culture. He weaved it into his lyrics and music. He used Ethiopia to inspire so many as they fought for freedom. Bob Marley and Ethiopia, Ethiopia and Bob Marley are bound by infinite ties that will live forever,” said the Mayor.

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Fossils Throw Light on First Humans

The remains of nine primitive hominids have been found in Ethiopia, which scientists believe could throw important light on gaps in the first chapters of early human evolution.

The fossils belong to the Ardipithecus ramidus hominid species, known to have lived 4.5 million years ago, of which only a few examples have been previously identified.

The find at As Duma in northern Ethiopia, which consists of mainly teeth and jaw fragments with parts of hands and feet, was made by a team lead by Dr Sileshi Semaw of the Craft Stone Age Institute at Indiana University in the United States and has been revealed in Nature magazine.

Dr Sileshi described the find as “very important” because the features of the uncovered foot bone show clearly that hominids walked upright, rather than crouching on all fours like a modern ape.

“A few windows are now opening in Africa to glance into the fossil evidence on the earliest hominids,” Dr Sileshi said. “We now have more than thirty fossils from at least nine individuals dated between 4.3 million and 4.5 million years old.”

The fossils were found in the a site known as the Gona Study Area, one of only two sites in Africa to have previously yielded examples of Ardipithecus ramidus. Professor Tim White of the University of California expressed his belief that the species was an important ancestor to later hominid species.

Meanwhile, two human fossils discovered nearly forty years ago in Ethiopia have been confirmed as the oldest known examples of modern-looking humans. The remains, which were discovered in Kibish, near the Omo River in southwestern Ethiopia, are now thought to be around 195,000 years old, predating previous findings also in Ethiopia, which were estimated to be between 154,000 and 160,000 years old.

The fossils were found in 1967, but experts previously disagreed over their ages. Parts of skulls and skeletal bones were found at two locations: both are believed to be early examples of the Homo sapiens species.

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Ethiopian sporting success continues

The sporting world has been reminded why Ethiopia has the reputation for producing some of the best runners on Earth when its athletes dominated the top positions in two separate competitive events, the 2005 Great Edinburgh Cross Country Run and the Cross Internacional de Italica in Santiponce, Seville. In the Men’s 9.2km competition in Edinburgh on Saturday 15th January, Dejene Berhanu came a close second, denied victory by just one second, with a finishing time of 27 minutes and 44 seconds, with fellow countryman Gebre Gebremariam taking third position one second later.

In the Women’s 6.2km, Tirunesh Dibaba successfully defended her Great North title winning in 21 minutes and 35 seconds. Meselech Melkamu finished third in 21:44.

The following day saw even more success for Ethiopia’s athletes, with the Men’s and Women’s races in Seville won by Maregu Tarefe Zewdie and Werknesh Kidane. Maregu, the reigning World Cross Country Championships bronze medallist, finished the Men’s 10.8km race in 31 minutes and 22 seconds, just six seconds ahead of fellow Ethiopian Abebe Dinkesa, who came in second. The Women’s 8.7km race earlier that day, saw Werknesh Kidane comfortably take first place with 28 minutes and 43 seconds.

Berhane Adere won the 3,000 metres at the Stuttgart Indoor Championships on 30^th January in a time of 8:37.91, while Ethiopian running legend Haile Gebreselassie passed his first test the following day ahead of his plan to participate in the 2005 Flora London Marathon, with a comfortable win in a half marathon in Addis Ababa.

Ethiopia won the CECAFA Al-Amoudi Senior Challenge Cup in a game played on 25th December, when it beat Burundi 3-0. Close to 30,000 supporters watched the playoffs of the football tournament in the Addis Ababa stadium, which also saw Sudan beat Kenya 2-1 to take third place. President Girma Wolde Giorgis awarded the trophy to the captain of the Ethiopian squad, Zewdu Bekele. Nine central and Eastern African countries participated in the 28th CECAFA Al-Amoudi Senior Challenge Cup, which the Ethiopian Football Federation labeled a great success, with more than two million birr raised from ticket sales.

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Ethiopian News – Volume 4 Number 4 February 2005

 Published by the Press Office, Ethiopian Embassy, 17 Princes Gate, London SW7 1PZ

Edited by James Thresher

Telephone: 020 7838 3883   Fax: 020 7838 3889

info@ethioembassy.org.uk  www.ethioembassy.org.uk