War criminals always receive the kindest words....
"Ethiopia gives Meles Zenawi state funeral" Associated Press, September 03, 2012
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Thousands of mourners gathered near a public
square in Ethiopia’s capital on Sunday to pay their final respects to
Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who was praised for lifting many out of
poverty but vilified by some for restricting freedoms.
It's the war crimes against the Somalis and the Ogaden that I find vilifying.
Meles, who ruled for 21 years, died Aug. 20 of an undisclosed illness
in a Belgian hospital. He was 57. During his rule Ethiopia was a strong
ally of the United States on counterterrorism issues, particularly in
Somalia, and some saw him as Africa’s intellectual leader in efforts to
fight poverty.
Ethiopian officials said the state funeral in Addis Ababa was
attended by hundreds of dignitaries from Africa and around the world.
Regional leaders praised Meles’s record, saying he provided leadership
to the whole of Africa. President Jacob Zuma of South Africa said
Ethiopia had lost ‘‘a patriot and a visionary.’’
See: South Africa's New Apartheid
‘‘His was a life of immense courage, vision, and enterprise which he
devoted to the advancement of his fellow citizens in this country and
across Africa,’’ said President Paul Kagame of Rwanda.
The US delegation was led by Susan Rice, the ambassador to the United
Nations, who described Meles as ‘‘unpretentious and direct.’’
Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn is acting as prime
minister. It remains unclear when he will be sworn in, but Ethiopian
officials say no elections are planned.
Meles became president in 1991 after helping to oust a communist
military junta that had been responsible for hundreds of thousands of
Ethiopian deaths.
Meles became prime minister in 1995, a position that is both the head
of the federal government and armed forces. The US saw him as a strong
security partner and gave hundreds of millions of dollars in aid over
the years. US military drones that patrol East Africa — especially over
Somalia — are stationed in Ethiopia.
And thus all the war crimes and other things are overlooked.
In the mid-2000s, the country saw strong economic growth, which won
Meles international praise. The International Monetary Fund in 2008 said
Ethiopia’s economy had grown faster than any non-oil exporting country
in sub-Saharan Africa.
But Ethiopia under Meles was criticized by human rights groups for
the government’s strict control, especially of independent political
groups and the press.
Yeah, but let's not let those things spoil the illusory legacy presented by the agenda-pushing AmeriKan media.
--more--"
Related: Meles Zenawi, 57, prime minister of Ethiopia, US ally
Also see: Black Sunday: Ethiopia's Egregious Export
And you wonder why there is famine in Africa?
