"Let those groups who are responsible for bleeding Ethiopia and calling themselves 'EPLF', 'TPLF', or by any other names, together with certain citizens who had alienated themselves from the law for personal, transient, and ephemeral reasons examine themselves deeply whether it is their real interest to see the disintegration and destruction of Ethiopia. Let them calm down and begin to think rationally.
In all certainty, Ethiopia is an ancient country and an ancient polity. Like many other countries, it acceded to its present distance by pausing through many historical vicissitudes. There is no force in Ethiopia today which has assumed supremacy by its own will or is exerting pressure on others as a foreign colonial power. We are all Ethiopians irrespective of our differences in terms of nationality, belief, or other factors. Like any other people in the world who are living in peace today, we have undergone both joyous occasions and sorrows together, and ultimately reached the present period like many other peoples of the world. In the present epoch many countries and peoples are thinking far into the future. Their preoccupation is to achieve a better life. But in our case, limitless effort is being wasted in terrorism and self-destruction. The life and property that are thus being lost are deplorable, and greatly damaging. How much is the damage caused as one individual plotted against another and as compatriot conspired against compatriot in collusion with foreigners. How many sacrifices have indeed been paid as one side attacked the other side defended the country and its unity.
What a pity it is to note that Ethiopia once mentioned as the sole independent country in the whole of Africa and serving as a refuge and beacon of hope for freedom fighters, today finds itself in a state where its very existence and independence are in jeopardy?
What is the sense in seeing ourselves running against each other's throats motivated by group feelings while today the civilized world is racing against time to draw benefits from space with the help of science and technology and by taking indulgence in massive cooperative ventures. Are the sabre-rattling and fratricidal feuds the sort of traditions that should continue under the pretext of bringing about the victory of one ethnic group at the expense of the other?
We have a virgin country which experts have described as 'the bread basket of the region' and which has been endowed with rich natural resources. How long will others continue to provide us with food supplies as we remain inextricably locked in conflict? And for how long will the name Ethiopia be synonymous with dependence and alms-seeking?
And for how long will guns and bombs be transported to undermine the country's unity, while knowledge and technology could profitably be imported from abroad for the country's development and the benefits of its people?
Should exile be the continued choice of an incalculable number of citizens because of the disturbances imposed on the peace and entity of the country?
There is no gainsaying the fact that safeguarding our territorial integrity and defending our independence have from ancient times been the hallmark of our identity. The fact that we are dying for the entity of our country and are singing in favour of our freedom cannot be described as meaningful unless it expresses itself in terms of the development of our country and the improvement of the life of our people. Our freedom has to be respected and we have to ameliorate our livelihood and be able to produce in a condition of peace. This is a prerequisite for enabling our children to overcome a life of panic and build a better Ethiopia worthy of being handed over to the succeeding generations."
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