STATEMENT
Eritrean People's Liberation Front- Democratic Party (EPLF-DP)
Transitional Leadership

(Unofficial Translation By Awate Research Unit)

The transitional leadership of the EPLF-DP concluded a three-day meeting it convened from 10-12 May 2003. The main topics discussed in the meeting were the state of:

1- The EPLF-DP
2- the opposition camp.
3- our country
4- our region as well as the world.

1- EPLF-DP

A.          understands profoundly that it is part and parcel of the camp that is struggling for a democratic change [in Eritrea]; to contribute its share [towards the struggle], the EPLF-DP has drafted a timely plan to open channels of communications with all opposition forces;

B.           assessed the efforts that were carried out thus far with regards to orienting members of the party and reached a positive conclusion; it drafted plans to spread, expand and strengthen the organization while harnessing the existing organizational membership base; 

C.           The transitional leadership has decided to call for an organizational congress by the end of the year 2003. 

2- The opposition camp.

A.    As explained above, the EPLF-DP is an indivisible part of the forces that are struggling to establish a democratic system; and observing that time and energy has been wasted because the opposition camp did not operate in unison, the meeting has drafted plans to create, in a short time, a platform that will enable the opposition to coordinate its activities.

3- Our country

A. The Issue of Drought

The EPLF-DP believes that the cause of drought in our country is due to the following three elements:

(1) All able bodied Eritreans are held in forced military conscription while their families are left on their own with no one to tend to them and thus are being condemned to be dependant on aid;

(2) The economic policy of the PFDJ has severely destroyed the private sector and the free market and confiscated all the country's wealth;

(3) Over the last few years, the recurring shortage of rainfall in our region has hit our country hard.

In order to avert the consequences of the causes mentioned above, and which have affected two thirds of our population, the transitional leadership called, again, on every Eritrean and the world community, to offer a helping hand to save lives. In offering aid, however, since the terrorist regime in Asmara is concerned in saving its life more than saving the lives of the people, and any aid that is handed to it will end up in the service of its military and security apparatus, our meeting pointed out that all aid should be given in a way that ensures that it will directly reach the people exposed to the drought.

In addition to that, since the terrorist regime in Asmara has alienated itself from the world community, and since its calls will not be heeded, our meeting decided to have all our members, wherever they reside, to campaign for aid from governments and charitable groups in order to help alleviate the drought that is endangering the existence of our people.

B. The Border Issue

Since the ruling that was issued in April 2002 regarding the Eritrean-Ethiopian border is final and binding, and it became law once it was announced to the people, and since law is above the wills and moods of any individual, and since the two sisterly neighbors can only have lasting peace when they both abide by the law in order to have a normal neighborliness, it is important that both countries accept and implement the rulings of the Eritrean-Ethiopian border commission. Due to a temporary sensation of power or for other reasons, any one party might try to change the ruling.  This can only be termed as short sightedness because such an action is a deadly poison that will strain the good neighborliness of the two brotherly countries.  Therefore,  in understanding the depth of the relations, and the need for current and future generations, and the relations of the people of both countries to have a brotherly as well as cooperative relations and peaceful co-existence, the transitional leadership of the EPLF-DP reaffirmed again in its meeting that it will struggle with all that it possesses towards the implementation of the commission's ruling.

C. Divide And Rule

To prevent the people from identifying their true enemy and to struggle for their human, political and economic rights, the terrorist regime in Asmara is continuing its policy of pushing spies to slip among the people and to divide them along regional and religious lines.  The meeting warned the people, again, to be alert to this campaign and to struggle against these dictatorial tactics.

D. Terrorism

Within the last two years, the number of prisons that were opened and built [in Eritrea] were more than the schools and medical care dispensing facilities.  Still,  the number of these installations, located on every corner of our country causing the suffering of our people, were deemed insufficient; thus,  thousands of prisoners are banished in the islands of Nakura and Gela’alo.  Given the fact that, of the thousands imprisoned, the number of those still alive or dead is unknown, our meeting has concluded that State Terrorism prevails in Eritrea. To rectify these agonizing situations, our meeting has designed a clear strategy and a timely tactic.

 4- Our Region And The World

          A.  Regional

Recognizing the fact that the Horn of Africa was never free of turmoil, and recognizing the fact that the preliminary contacts that our party has started with the regional countries has so far resulted in a positive development, the transitional leadership of the EPLF-DP has decided to strengthen the already initiated contacts.

B.   World Wide 

In a time when the world was prepared to promote stability and world peace, and since it is the worldview that the main element hindering this is acts of terrorism, our meeting has condemned acts of extremism and terrorism in all its forms. 

Glory to our martyrs

Victory to the masses

Transitional Leadership
EPLF-DP
May 12, 2003