VZCZCXRO4730
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHDS #2208/01 2570834
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 140834Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6168
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEPADJ/CJTF HOA PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEWMFD/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ADDIS ABABA 002208 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID KDEM ET
SUBJECT: DO NOT INTERVENT IN OUR AFFAIRS: GOE LAYS DOWN A MARKER 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Mike Gonzales and Public 
Affairs Officer Alyson Grunder met with the Director of the Office 
of Government Communications Affairs, Minister Bereket Simon, on 
September 4 to discuss two opinion pieces published in the 
state-owned Amharic language Addis Zemen newspaper condemning 
USAID's interventions in Ethiopia's internal affairs.  The op-eds 
claimed that USAID had been engaged in illegally providing support 
to Ethiopian media organizations, among other allegations.  While 
Bereket, and his associate Shimelis Kemal, claimed that they did not 
have advance knowledge of the Addis Zemen articles, they voiced 
their strong objections to what they deemed to be USAID's 
"unwarranted intervention" with the media.  Bereket stated that 
foreign governments must inform and receive permission from the 
Government of Ethiopia (GoE) regarding any assistance provided to 
media organizations -- or any Ethiopian entity -- and stressed that 
assistance to media outlets beyond the scope of "capacity building" 
is prohibited by law.  Most media and diplomatic contacts feel the 
ruling party used the op-eds to send a message to Ethiopians that 
they should not seek the assistance of the international community 
to open political space and to warn donors as the country moves 
closer to elections in 2010.  Post prepared "if asked" guidance to 
respond, which has been used almost in its entirety in both the 
English and Amharic versions of the private newspaper The Reporter. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
---------- 
BACKGROUND 
---------- 
 
¶2. (U) On August 29 and September 1, the state-owned Addis Zemen 
newspaper ran a two-part opinion editorial, "USAID's Shameful 
Interference in the Ethiopian Media" under a pseudonymous byline 
alleging that the U.S. Agency for International Development had 
convened a group of journalists representing exclusively private 
media organizations and offered financial support for coverage of 
the 2010 Ethiopian elections.   According to the articles, a 
representative of USAID had expressed concern that the elections 
would not be free and fair because of the narrowing of democratic 
space in Ethiopia, and encouraged the press to focus urgently on the 
upcoming election.  According to the article, the USAID 
representative, said that "money was no object as long as well 
presented project proposals are submitted to USAID."  The articles 
implied that USAID is trying to foment another "Orange Revolution," 
such as foreign agencies had successfully supported in the Ukraine. 
Private media outlets were portrayed as traitors to their country, 
greedy for "alms in return for the sale of the pride and sovereignty 
of Ethiopia."  This criticism mirrored earlier leveled at local 
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that were accused of providing 
false information for the 2009 State Department Human Rights 
Report. 
 
¶3. (U) The Media Forum (MF), that hosted the meetings condemned in 
the Addis Zemen pieces, was first convened in late 2006 by the U.S. 
Mission with the strong support of the GoE; it has been supported 
since by USAID through the Constructive Dialogue Initiative of Pact, 
a USAID-funded NGO.  Representatives from USAID and the UK Foreign 
Office participated in two donor meetings with the Media Forum on 
August 19 and 26, as follow-ups to commitments to focus resources on 
election media issues at a donors' workshop on the elections in late 
May 2009.  USAID contacted the MF Steering Committee (SC) to discuss 
when and how to bring consideration of possible donor 
election-related capacity building assistance to the broader Forum 
membership.  It was agreed that the SC would invite a select group 
to a lunch meeting and circulate a set of questions beforehand to 
help focus preparatory thinking.  At the first meeting, both USAID 
and UK representatives said that resources were available to both 
government and private media professionals, outlets and associations 
to support capacity building for improved coverage of the 2010 
elections.  After the August 19 meeting, the UK circulated a list of 
possible program support areas; a UK Embassy PolOff also met 
Minister Bereket to discuss working with the media on election 
issues and advised him that we had begun discussions with 
stakeholders. 
 
¶4. (U) At the second meeting with the Media Forum membership on 
August 26, UK and U.S. representatives were joined by a 
representative of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Foundation, a 
non-profit German political and pubic policy foundation.  Each of 
the media participants reported on their needs and the support that 
interested them, ranging from training to funding, and from pure 
reporting skills improvement to the management of candidate debates. 
 All three funding agencies clarified that direct cash transfers 
 
ADDIS ABAB 00002208  002 OF 003 
 
 
would not be possible and that technical assistance and support for 
trainings and media events could only be provided through in-kind 
donations. 
 
-------------------- 
MEETING WITH BEREKET 
-------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) In the September 4 meeting, after initial courtesies 
Minister Bereket noted GoE concerns about U.S. involvement with the 
media, as highlighted in the Addis Zemen op-eds.  While stating that 
he had had nothing to do with the publication of the Addis Zemen 
articles, Bereket claimed to have investigated the MF meetings and 
found the allegations in the op-eds to be based in fact.  The 
Minister stressed that foreign agencies are not permitted to suggest 
content or topics for coverage to Ethiopian media, and accused USAID 
of explicitly pushing for Ethiopian media to cover the elections 
which he called an "unwarranted intervention" into Ethiopian 
affairs.  Furthermore, Bereket elaborated that financial assistance 
by foreign agents to the media is prohibited by the 2008 Media Law 
and violates the sovereignty of the Ethiopian state.  Finally, 
Bereket stated that any interaction or associations between the 
media -- or any Ethiopian entity -- and foreign governments must be 
approved by the Ethiopian government.  He asked the A/DCM and PAO to 
convey his message to our superiors. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The A/DCM thanked Bereket for his message but noted that 
neither USAID nor the U.S. Mission had committed any of the 
violations that Bereket had detailed.  He clarified that the Media 
Forum, not USAID, called the meeting to discuss election coverage; 
USAID and other donors simply offered technical assistance and 
training to facilitate reporting that is accurate, non-partisan and 
issue-based.  When A/DCM noted that all donors at the two meetings 
in question had stressed that cash transfers were not possible, 
Bereket's associate Shimelis Kemal, the Director for Media Affairs, 
stated that even training counts as illegal financial assistance 
since training costs money.  Bereket corrected his colleague noting 
that "capacity building" is permissible but must be vetted in 
principle and in substance with the relevant GoE ministry before any 
such assistance may be commenced.  A/DCM noted that UK Embassy 
PolOff had met with Bereket to brief him on these discussions on 
engagement with the media, but Bereket asserted he had never 
discussed such issues with the UK officer.  A/DCM further emphasized 
that despite Bereket's protest that the GoE had not been consulted, 
two officials from the National Electoral Board and three 
representatives from state media -- including the MF's chairman -- 
participated in the meetings. 
 
¶7. (SBU) A/DCM suggested that in the future, even when we are 
working in tandem with other donor partners, we would make sure to 
inform the GOE directly of our capacity building projects.  PAO 
added that given our many channels of open communication with the 
GoE, if there are any concerns about USG activities in the country, 
we can surely find productive ways to discuss them.  A/DCM and PAO 
both noted that the U.S. Mission had been taken aback by the tone of 
the state-run Addis Zemen articles and the aspersions cast on our 
intentions.  Bereket responded that the U.S. is clearly not used to 
criticism from others, reminding that the GoE had endured many 
attacks from the U.S. Congress and NGOs, and had for the most part 
chosen to ignore them. 
¶8. (U) Post prepared "if asked" guidance coordinated with th 
Department in response to the Addis Zemen articles and associated 
coverage.  The full text is in para 9 below.  The Reporter, a 
privately-owned publication, used much of the guidance in articles 
printed in the English and Amharic versions of their paper on 
September 12 and 13 (English headline: Embassy says concerned about 
"allegations" on meetings between donors, media). 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) Minister Bereket has a reputation for being among the 
hard-liners in ruling circles.  The rhetoric of the Addis Zemen 
articles, and the references to foreign instigation of the Orange 
Revolution, matched the tone and content of GoE public commentary in 
the aftermath of the disputed 2005 elections, as well as private 
explanationa for the related expulsions of the National Democratic 
Institute, the International Republican Institute, and IFES. 
Embassy contacts have suggested that the vitriolic language and tone 
of the Amharic language used in the pieces were strikingly similar 
to past pieces penned by senior ruling party officials.   The 
supposed op-ed pieces underscore GoE sensitivity to any criticism or 
external involvement associated with democracy and governance issues 
generally, and specifically the 2010 elections.  The apparent 
warning may succees in fostering greater media self-censorship and 
 
ADDIS ABAB 00002208  003 OF 003 
 
 
caution, the limited reporting of the Mission response 
notwithstanding.  Bereket's concluding threat that "if something 
like this happens again, we will have to take action" presumably was 
intended as a threat to us and other donors that support for a more 
open and inclusive political environment as elections approach will 
not be welcome.  Along with the earlier strong reaction to the Human 
Rights Report, this incident may portend a much more aggressive 
response by the GoE more generally to U.S. efforts to promote 
democratic reform and respect for human rights in Ethiopia.  END 
COMMENT. 
 
MEECE