Main opposition party calls for dialogue

Ethiopia's main opposition party, the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), called on Wednesday for dialogue with the government as its detained leaders entered the 10th day of their hunger strike. Dialogue, the CUD said in a statement, was the only option for resolving their bitter dispute with the ruling party. Lawyers who visited the CUD members in prison on Wednesday said the detainees had lost a considerable amount of weight but were in good spirits. The leaders said they were in good health. The call for dialogue came as more than 50 CUD members ended their boycott of parliament. The party had refused to assume the 109 seats it won in the 15 May parliamentary elections, claiming the vote was rigged in favour of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, the ruling party. Opposition parties, which won only 12 seats during the 2000 elections, got a total of 174 seats in the May polls, or 32 percent of the parliament. The first session of parliament after the elections was convened in spite of the boycott. In the absence of the CUD members, parliament passed a vote to change its rules so that opposition parties would need the support of at least half of the 547-seat body - compared with 20 members in the previous session - to table a motion. The CUD leaders in prison face possible treason charges, although they have not been formally charged since their detention on 1 November. "As political prisoners, the CUD leaders continue to struggle for their cause even from prison," the CUD said in a statement released on Wednesday. Diplomats said they had exerted pressure on all sides to try and resolve the political crisis that has gripped the country in recent months. The dispute over the election sparked demonstrations in June and November where security forces opened fire, killing at least 88 people in both incidents. Several police officers were also killed during the disturbances, according to government officials. "Unrest has spiraled out of control with tragic results," the US-EU statement said. "We urgently call upon all political parties to desist from further violence and to abide by the rule of law. These distressing events have further deepened mistrust, as well as political and social divisions." The diplomatic community also called for the release of the detainees. Ethiopia's polls were hailed as the most contested and open in the country's history. Allegations of rigging occurred after polls closed, however, and the EU election observers said the election failed to meet international standards. The vote - seen as a test of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's commitment to reform - gave his Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front control of nearly two-thirds of seats in parliament.