On Friday May 20, 2005, a delegation from the Eritrean Democratic Alliance (EDA) met with officials of the State Department of the USA. The delegation was headed by Mr. Adhanom Gebremariam, deputy Chairman of the EDA.   The topics covered included introduction to the EDA, the humanitarian crisis in Eritrea, Eritrean refugees in the Sudan as well as elections in Ethiopia.

Our sources indicated that the delegation which �presented itself as an Eritrean democratic alternative to the repressive PFDJ government� handed a memo accompanied by a copy of the EDA charter to the state department.

The delegation also appealed to the State Department to do whatever they could to offer urgent humanitarian assistance to nearly 80% of the Eritrean people who are suffering from acute food shortage. The delegation asserted its belief that the PFDJ redirects food aid meant for the people towards the army.  Our sources added that �the officials indicated their commitment to assist the Eritrean people.�

The EDA also spoke about the tens of thousands of Eritrean refugees in the Sudan who had fled the scorched earth policy of successive Ethiopian occupation regimes but remain in refugee camps after Eritrea�s independence due to the unjust policies and the wanton human rights violations practiced by the ruling regime.

The two parties also discussed the recent Ethiopian elections where the state department officials indicated that �they are concerned with some chauvinist elements within the Ethiopian opposition parties who want to declare the Algiers Agreement, as well as Eritrean borders, null and void.�