unitex@rubbs.fidonet.org (unitex) (08/28/89)
Carter's toughest peace mission
(Boston Globe, August 21, 334 words)
Former President Carter has taken up a formidable challenge by
agreeing to oversee talks aimed at bringing peace to Ethiopia. His task is
harder than his intervention in the Israeli-Egyptian conflict that
resulted in the Camp David Accords of 1979.
The Ethiopian talks, beginning in Atlanta next month, are filled with
peril for any mediator. Ethiopia is ruled by Mengistu Haile Mariam, whose
chief claim to legitimacy is his ability to hold his country together. The
rebels in the Eritrea region insist that independence is their
non-negotiable ambition.
In 1979, Egypt and Israel had clear, attainable goals. Egypt sought
the return of the Sinai and US aid. Israel wanted to retain its US aid and
to breach the solid front of Arab states that refused to recognize it.
In Ethiopia the combatants are approaching a peace of exhaustion.
Mengistu has just put down a coup attempt and has purged the high command
of the army. His forces are incapable of crushing the rebels. The Eritrean
separatists have never been able to threaten Asmara, the regional capital,
and are vulnerable to raids from the Ethiopian air force.
Carter is acting as a private citizen. While the White House wishes
him well, spokesmen carefully distance President Bush from any
involvement. But the power of the US will be in the background as the
talks begin. Ethiopia needs an end to war and an infusion of aid to
prevent another famine.
Mengistu's help in the search for Rep. Mickey Leland suggests his
realization - similar to Egypt's Anwar Sadat in 1979 - that only good
relations with the US can bring his nation the help it needs.
Carter has used his time well since leaving office. He has traveled to
educate himself about international conflicts and established an
organization in Atlanta to mediate internal wars that fall outside the
purview of the United Nations. The Atlanta talks are a hopeful precedent
for ending conflicts that cause the deaths of thousands of innocent
people.
* Origin: UNITEX --> Toward a United Species (1:107/501)
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Patt Haring | UNITEX : United Nations
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