Ethiopia strike call dropped
2005-10-02 20:45
Addis Ababa - Ethiopia's two main opposition groups late on Saturday dropped a call for a three-day general strike to protest a ban on demonstrations in the wake of the country's disputed general election.
The groups withdrew their call, issued earlier on Saturday, following discussions with foreign ambassadors acting as mediators with the government.
"We have been in continual contact with several ambassadors and they have also been in contact with the prime minister," Beyene Petros, vice-president of the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF), told reporters.
"As a result of these discussions we have cancelled our stay at home strike announced earlier," he said, reading from a statement issued jointly by the UEDF and the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD).
"We are committing ourselves to press for our objectives through a democratic and parliamentary process."
The announcement followed several hours of talks attended by the ambassadors of the United States, Britain and the European Union, who mediated between the opposition and the government.
"Based on this commitment of the CUD and UEDF, the prime minister has agreed to talks with the opposition beginning as early as tomorrow (Sunday)," US charge d'affaires Vicky Huddleston said.
The strike was called after the government declared illegal a rally planned for Sunday in the capital to protest its victory in the May 15 general election.
Ethiopian officials have repeatedly accused the two groups of planning the rally to incite their supporters to overthrow the government, which the opposition strongly denied.
Protests over the polls - which the opposition claims were marred by mass fraud - turned violent in June when police opened fire on demonstrators in the capital, killing at least 36 people.
The government has consistently rejected opposition calls to form a government of national unity.