EPDP Delegation Discusses Eritrean Problems in Bern with Swiss Social Democrats & Foreign Ministry

2014-11-20 02:58:51 Written by  EPDP Information Office Published in EPDP News Read 8437 times

EPDP Information Office

A delegation of the Eritrean People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) on Tuesday, 19 November 2014, held extensive discussions with senior officials of the Swiss Social Democratic Party and with the Swiss Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

The EPDP delegation availed itself in Bern upon a formal invitation from the Swiss capital to exchange notes with concerned organs of the Swiss Social Democratic Party as well as for updating the Swiss Federal authorities on the ever worsening situation in Eritrea.

Consisting of EPDP’s head for foreign relations, Mr. Woldeyesus Ammar, and Swiss branch leadership members Messrs. Tesfagaber Ghebre and Fitwi Kifle, the Eritrean delegation raised many hot issues that it wished to be addressed by Switzerland in close cooperation with other countries and multi-lateral organizations. The delegation also submitted memoranda: one to the SP/PS president, Mr. Christian Levrat, and in the afternoon meeting at the Foreign Ministry, to the Swiss Foreign Minister and current President of the country, Mr. Didier Burkhalter.

The meeting in the morning hours was conducted with the International Secretariat of Switzerland’s second largest party, well known by its acronyms of SP in the German and Romansh speaking cantons (Socialdemokratische Partei) and PS (Parti Socialiste; Partito Socialista) in the French and Italian speaking cantons.

In the first meeting, the EPDP delegation urged the SP/PS leadership to push the Federal Swiss Government to make active and effective involvement in helping Eritrea and its people to come out of the critical situation they are in. The Swiss party was also asked to initiate a wider discussion of the problem in Eritrea as well as the general situation in the Greater Horn of Africa region at a special meeting of the Progressive Alliance, of which both SP/PS and EPDP are members, with the aim of addressing the ongoing ‘failed state’ phenomenon.

General issues considered at both the meetings with the SP/PS and, in the afternoon session, with the Foreign Ministry included discussion on the ever worsening situation inside Eritrea; areas on which pressure should be exerted; and what joint regional and international measures could taken to improve the lot of the Eritrean refugees in the Horn of Africa region and those already in Switzerland. In particular, the EPDP delegation earnestly requested that the recently formed coordination body of Eritrean political and civil society groups in Switzerland be approached for consultation and joint work to help young Eritreans in Switzerland who have no adequate education background to fit to the new environment they are in.

Excerpts from the memorandum to the Swiss Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs can summarize the gist of the issued proposed for action at the level of Switzerland.

 

1. Exerting Pressure on the Asmara regime

      • Assist in organizing international pressure on the dictatorial regime to end the limitless “national service” it started two decades ago;
      • Allow ICRC as well as the UN Commission of Inquiry and the UN Human Rights Rapporteur for Eritrea to visit the over 300 prisons in the country where inmates are kept for many years without recourse to a court of law;

 

2.  Normalization of relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia

  • The excuse given as a stumbling block for better relations is the border problem. Both countries can, and must be advised, to show readiness for compromise.
  • In particular, there is a need of pressurizing Ethiopia through different means to accept the final and binding decision of the arbitration boundary commission

 

3. Active support for Eritrean refugees in the Horn, and in Switzerland

  • Initiate a special package project for academic and vocational education in East Sudan and North Ethiopia partly using technical development resources that several countries suspended from Eritrea due to the human rights condition there. Switzerland can lead this initiative.
  • The tens of thousands of Eritreans in Switzerland are young and without proper education. Giving special attention for their education and skill building would make them better citizens upon their possible return to Eritrea.

 

4. Assist in bringing about a positive change in Eritrea

  • The best option that could be taken by fraternal parties and governments is bringing about change in the system of governance in Eritrea where the majority of the population is opposed to the existing repressive regime.  
  • One way of doing it is through empowering Eritrean non-state actors (mainly by reaching the civil society and political movements in diaspora) through active support for capacity building.

 

 

 

Last modified on Friday, 21 November 2014 19:18