Premier vows to fight terrorism

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has stressed the importance of long-term sustainable development for Ethiopia and vowed to fight terrorism, in his first speech to the country's new parliament. Speaking on Tuesday, he said the severe drought facing the country should not divert Ethiopia's aims of improving food security. “It is saddening to find our country in a very difficult situation because of the drought at a time when we are striving hard to implement our development plan,” the prime minister said. He said that “in spite of meagre resources” the country had distributed 45,000 mt of grain to drought-afflicted families. Meles also pledged to fight the rebel Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), which he again branded a terrorist organisation. He said the OLF had admitted to carrying out terrorist attacks in the capital Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa in the east of the country. “At a moment when terrorism is denounced in the whole world it is shameful for the OLF to use terrorism as a means to fight,” he said. "The government, by acknowledging this fact, has no other choice than fighting the OLF." “The struggle against the OLF is no different to the anti-terrorist fight that is going on now in the world,” Meles added.