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By Anita Powell
10 May, 2007
Parliament voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to ask the United Nations to take "necessary measures" against Ethiopia's neighbour and long-time adversary, Eritrea.
The vote, which did not specify what actions it wanted the UN to take, was the latest in a string of Ethiopian condemnations of Eritrea, which fought a border war with Ethiopia that ended in 2000.
The measure, which passed 300 to 83, also included calls for international condemnation of an attack on a Chinese oil exploration field in northeastern Ethiopia two weeks ago in which 74 Chinese and Ethiopian workers were shot dead. The measure called for those responsible for the attack to be brought to justice.
Top Ethiopian officials, including Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, publicly accused Eritrea of masterminding the attack, for which the rebel Ogaden National liberation Front claimed responsibility. Eritrean officials denied any involvement.
Ethiopian officials have long accused Eritrea of terrorist acts in Ethiopia and for lending support to insurgent groups in Somalia.
In parliament on Thursday, despite vigorous arguments from opposition parties, the dominant Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front easily carried a majority on the proposal.
Thursday's parliamentary debate appeared to centre more on internal political fissures than on the small seaside nation of Eritrea, which was rarely mentioned by name.
Opposition leaders have long complained that the leading party has not disclosed information, including the cost of Ethiopia's war in Somalia and the number of soldiers deployed and killed.
"The government is not providing information for us as members of parliament," said Bulcha Demeksa, chairman of the opposition Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement. "In other countries government provides information to the parliament, but here we are getting information from the media like any other citizen." -Sapa-AP