The Action Group for Eritrea (AGE) submitted a petition signed by more
than 2000 Eritreans and friends to the Office of Prime Minister Gordon
Brown on Friday the 14th of December 2007.

The petition called on the Prime Minister to urge the Ethiopian government
to respect the border as determined by the Eritrea Ethiopia Border
Commission (EEBC) and withdraw its army from sovereign Eritrean
territories.  The Prime Minister was reminded that the Boundary Commission
has wound up its operations after being frustrated by Ethiopia’s refusal
to allow physical demarcation of the border and the border as delimited by
the EEBC stands as the legal boundary between the two states.

Given that Britain is a major provider of development aid to Ethiopia, the
Prime Minister was urged to use his influence and play a historic role at
this very precarious time in the history of the Horn of Africa by
convincing the government of Ethiopia to abide by the rule of law so as to
allow the people of the Horn of Africa to live in peace.

Before the petition was submitted, AGE’s representatives held an hour long
meeting with an official from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.  The
meeting focussed on the current state of affairs in the Horn of Africa in
general and the Eritrea Ethiopia conflict in particular.  The official was
informed that without the financial and political support it gets from
Britain and others, Ethiopia would not have been able to defy an
international ruling and create havoc in the Horn of Africa. It was
stressed that the British government’s policy of appeasing Ethiopia is
contributing to the instability of the region and prolonging the suffering
of the people of the Horn of Africa. The representatives called on the
British government to shoulder its responsibility and use its leverage and
influence to bring Ethiopia’s adventure to an end.

As part of the public Mekete meeting that was initiated by Eritreans
worldwide, AGE made a 25-minute long presentation at a meeting held in
London on the 8th of December 2007.  The presentation highlighted the
lobbying activities that AGE has been conducting over the last couple of
years and suggestions on what Eritreans and their friends can do to make
their voices heard.  The presentation elaborated in detail how much the
British government supports Ethiopia and how this has allowed the
Ethiopian government to continue with its defiance as well as divert
resources in preparation for another destructive war against Eritrea. A
massive letter writing campaign was initiated and the drive received a
wide participation from attendees of the meeting.


Action Group for Eritrea
Web: www.eritrea.co.uk