Ruling coalition to hold televised debates with opposition

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is to face opposition leaders and academics in a series of televised debates.

The debates, the first of their kind in Ethiopia, follow calls by the European Union on the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) coalition to engage in more dialogue with the opposition.

The first debate, due to take place on Sunday, will address issues such as the economy, 10 years of federalism in the country and national security.

Kifle Wodajo, of the Addis Ababa-based independent InterAfrica Group (IAG) which organised the debates, said he hoped it would lead to a “culture of open dialogue”. It is expected the forum will continue on a regular basis every two months.

But one opposition group – the Ethiopian Unity Organisation - has rejected the idea of the debates and is boycotting them.

In a statement, it said the IAG meetings had no "clear objectives" and organisations like the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Human Rights Council had not been invited.

The meetings are to be televised to Ethiopian Diaspora communities in North America and Europe.