Ongeri on charm offensive after Raila remark

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By OLIVER MATHENGE omathenge@ke.nationmedia.com and LUCAS BARASA lbarassa@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Saturday, September 1  2012 at  20:51

IN SUMMARY

• Mr Odinga, while sending his message of condolence, said that Mr Mele’s death had presented Ethiopia with a situation that could lead to anarchy if its leadership fell out
• Kenya hired a private jet and sent Foreign Affairs minister Sam Ongeri to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to appease the officials and assure them of the ties between the two countries.
• The Foreign Affairs ministry is now urging leaders to avoid making statements that may sour relations between the country and its neighbours.

Kenya went on a diplomatic charm offensive to Addis Ababa following a media interview with Prime Minister Raila Odinga after the death of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

Kenya hired a private jet and sent Foreign Affairs minister Sam Ongeri to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to appease the officials and assure them of the ties between the two countries.

The ministry is now urging leaders to avoid making statements that may sour relations between the country and its neighbours.

Mr Odinga, while sending his message of condolence, said that Mr Mele’s death had presented Ethiopia with a situation that could lead to anarchy if its leadership fell out.

Terming him as a “great and intellectual leader, Mr Odinga said that Mr Meles will be remembered “for the great effort he put in transforming the Ethiopian economy.”

“One fears for the stability of Ethiopia upon his death because you know that the Ethiopian state is fairly fragile and there is a lot of ethnic violence...

"I don’t know that [Ethiopian politicians] are sufficiently prepared for a succession: this is my fear, that there may be a falling out within the ruling movement.

"One would hope they could contain the various factions within the government so that the transition is smooth,” Mr Odinga was quoted by the BBC as saying.

Foreign Affairs Minister Thuita Mwangi told the Sunday Nation that Prof Ongeri flew to Addis to tell the Ethiopian leadership that this was not the official stand of the government.

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“Such remarks are not helpful to our interests. The minister is urging all leaders to be sensitive that they do not put us in an unusual diplomatic position.

"The relationship between Kenya and Ethiopia has been traditionally strong and we intend to keep it that way,” Mr Mwangi said.

Ethiopia on Saturday assured the world of a smooth transition as it bids final farewell to its late leader at a state funeral on Sunday. President Kibaki left for Addis Ababa on Saturday to attend the burial.

On Friday, Ethiopian ambassador to Kenya Shemsudin Ahmed Roble said political succession is rolling smoothly “in accordance with the constitution of the land.”

“It is a predictable process; there is no room for unknowns. What you see is what you get in Ethiopia,” Mr Roble told journalists at the Ethiopian Embassy in Nairobi on Saturday.

He said Parliament will convene after Meles’s funeral to confirm deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn who has been acting PM since the death of Meles.

“Therefore, there’s no cause for alarm. The policies of the ruling party and the Government led by the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi will continue under the new leadership,” Mr Roble said.

Political elite

Mr Hailemariam, a relatively unknown politician, hails from the south, unlike many of the country’s political elite from the north.

After being sworn in, he is expected to remain prime minister until the next national election in 2015. Mr Roble said the horn of African country will continue to be stable and a strong regional player.

“The policies of our late PM will be adhered to by the new leadership of the country. Ethiopia will remain a very good neighbour and true friend of Kenya and its people.

"Ethiopia is committed to further strengthen the robust bilateral relationship that surpassed the test of time,” Mr Roble said.

Mr Roble discounted fears that major regional projects that had been started by the late Meles would collapse saying “we will work hard with our Kenyan brothers to speed up implementations of various bilateral development projects such as LAPSSET (Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport Corridor project) and the electricity power transmission.”

“There’s nothing that will affect the relationship between Kenya and Ethiopia. The things agreed upon were of national interest of both countries and the new leadership is committed to implement them for the benefit of the region. We consider the projects as a vehicle for integration,” Mr Roble said.