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 Ethiopia:
Canadian aid projects linked Makhtal's case with PM
Zenawi
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Dr.Abdullahi Mohamed (Deputy Editor Geeska Afrika
Online)
Djibouti (HAN) August 6th, 2008
 Deepak
Obhrai, parliamentary secretary to the Foreign Minister
Full Comment: write- Geeska Afrika Online at:
news@geeskaafrika.com or han@geeskaafrika.com
2007
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Ethiopia:
Canadian aid projects linked Makhtal's case with PM Zenawi
Djibouti (HAN) August 6th, 2008 - It is a great
victories, especially Makhtal's case, so it was a huge relief to
learn that Canadina Somali citizen Makhtal had fanally get a
Canadian attention to release from prison because of his poor
health.
Zenawi's Authority has freed a number of prisoners from jail
under the terms of a recent peace deal struck between Oromo,
Somali and Afar elders from military prison in Somali state.
However, those he said "jailed for criminal acts such as
terrorism or memeber of ONLf, Al-Itihad, OLF, ALf, rather than
political offences are not covered by the peace deal and are
likely to remain in jail for military trail.
The released prisoners were included Canadian dual nationals
based in Toronto, the HAN news agency reported.
Secretly, The Canadian official pressed to release Makhtal in
exchange for an end to the Canadian aid projects — although
Makhtal made clear he remained opposed to the Ethiopian policy
towards his people.
The Harper government is satisfied with assurances that a
Canadian imprisoned in Ethiopia for 18 months will be allowed
legal representation and continued consular visits, Deepak
Obhrai, parliamentary secretary to the Foreign Minister said
yesterday.
Mr. Obhrai raised the case of Bashir Makhtal, a dual
Canadian-Ethiopian citizen, with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles
Zenawi in an official visit to Addis Ababa last weekend.
"I am satisfied with the assurances," Mr. Obhrai said yesterday
in a telephone interview from Calgary. "He will have access to
his lawyer, which should speed up the trial."
Supporters of Mr. Makhtal and some opposition MPs have been
pressing the Harper government for months to intervene on his
behalf. Until last month, Canadian diplomats had been barred
from visiting Mr. Makhtal, an ethnic Somali who came to Canada
as a refugee in 1991 and became a citizen three years later.
Mr. Obhrai has taken a personal interest in the convoluted cases
of several Canadian dual nationals imprisoned abroad. Last
weekend's visit was his second to Ethiopia in the past few
months. Although bilateral relations and aid projects were on
his agenda, pressing Mr. Makhtal's case with Prime Minister
Zenawi pushes the envelope of intervention given that Mr.
Makhtal is also an Ethiopian citizen.
Ethiopia regards the case as one involving national security,
noting that Mr. Makhtal is the grandson of one of the founders
of the separatist Ogaden National Liberation Front.
According to the Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office,
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada : Deepak
Obhrai, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign
Affairs and to the Minister of International Cooperation, will
take part in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
Post Ministerial Conference and the ASEAN Regional Forum in
Singapore from July 20 to 26. He will then visit the Philippines
and Ethiopia from July 26 to August 2.
The Geeska Afrika Magazine Sources: AFP files
& HAN staff in Addis Ababab
The Note Sources expressed
in this article do not necessarily represent the
views of Geeska Afrika Online, HAN, Editorial
Board, www.geeskaafrika.com or our global
writers and reporters. The views are solely that
of the source.
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