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On April 04th, 2006 high ranking ONLF
officials led by the first deputy
chairman of ONLF honorable Mohamed
Ismail Omar paid an official visit to
Washington DC.
According to Radio Freedom reporters in
Washington, these ONLF officials were
invited to come to Washington by high
ranking members of the United States
congress as well as the United States
State Department in order to have
official discussions about the situation
in Ogadenia.
The ONLF officials who have been touring
throughout Europe and North America for
the past three months have been joined
in Washington by the ONLF country
representative in the USA professor
Mohamed Wali Abbas and Mr Abdullahi
Muhumed Qani.
The objectives of the tour by these high
ranking ONLF officials have been
multifold. First and foremost on the
agenda was a meeting scheduled with
United States Congress members
spearheaded by honorable Mark Kennedy of
Minnesota. An official tour of congress
was scheduled as well as the meeting
with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
for African Affairs Ambassador Donald
Yamamoto.
The meeting that took place between
these high ranking ONLF officials and
United States Congress members took
place on Wednesday April 05th. In this
meeting, the officials explained in
depth the oppression, extra-judicial
killings and human rights transgressions
committed against the people of Ogadenia
by the militia-led regime in Addis
Ababa.
They have emphasized the need for the
United States government to take a
closer look at the happenings in
Ogadenia since the US government
provides Ethiopia the largest aid in the
African continent. United States
representatives led by honorable Mark
Kennedy of Minnesota and the high
ranking ONLF officials agreed upon the
need to work together in finding a
lasting solution to the Ogaden issue.
 An
other meeting took place between these
high ranking ONLF officials and Deputy
Assistant Secretary of State for African
Affairs Ambassador Donald Yamamoto on
Monday April 10th, 2006.
AmbassadorYamamoto recently returned
from a working tour of Ethiopia and is
very knowledgeable about the situation
in Ethiopia in general and Ogadenia in
particular. Ambassador Yamamoto and his
officials at the US State department
listened to a long report about the
situation in Ogadenia provided by
honorable Mohamed Ismail Omar.
After the report there was a long
discussion about the importance of
having the US government pay a closer
attention to the situation in Ogadenia.
In this meeting it was agreed upon by
all the parties the need to strengthen
the relationship between the US
government and ONLF. It was further
agreed upon the need for having
communication lines open in order to
update each other on goings on in
Ogadenia.
In between the meetings with United
States House of representatives and the
US State department officials, the high
ranking ONLF officials met with the
community members in and around
Washington DC area on Sunday April 09th,
2006. This meeting was organized by the
Ogaden community in Washington DC and
its environs.
The communal gathering took place at the
renowned Hilton Hotel in Crystal City,
Virginia. As part of the official tour
of the high ranking ONLF officials,
there are meetings planned with the
people of Ogadenia in the Diaspora in
states such as California, Minnesota,
Illinois, Georgia and Ohio.
Analysts in the horn of Africa region
whom our reporters have had discussions
with confirmed the monumental failure by
the Ethiopian regime to prevent the
meeting between ONLF officials and the
United States Government.
These analysts believe that this
official ONLF tour of Europe and North
America is having a devastating impact
on the image of the Tigray-led regime in
Addis Ababa. They believe that it also
shows ONLF maturity in strengthening its
relationships with the outside world and
especially with governments in Europe
and North America.
.
Ogaden Online News
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