Russian
& East German Documents on Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa, 1977-78
Memorandum
of Conversation between Soviet Ambassador to Ethiopia Ratanov and Mengistu,
5 September 1977
From
diary of
SECRET
A.
P. Ratanov
Copy No. 2
6
September 1977
MEMORANDUM
OF CONVERSATION
with Chairman of PMAC of Ethiopia
HAILE
MARIAMOM MENGISTU
5
September 1977
I received a visit from Haile Mariam Mengistu (Berhanu
Bayeh, a member of the Permanent Committee of the PMAC, took part in the discussion)
and, pursuant to instructions, informed him about the results of the visit
of President Siad Barre of the SDR to Moscow.
1. Having listened, Mengistu asked to convey his
appreciation to the Soviet leadership, and personally to Comrade L. I. Brezhnev,
for the correct line followed in discussions with Siad Barre, and for the
comprehensive assistance rendered to Ethiopia. In this connection, Mengistu
noted that at the present time, especially in regard to Soviet supplies of
trailers for the transport of tanks, the balance of forces between Ethiopia
and Somali was beginning to move in favor of Ethiopia.
Assessing the demarche of Siad Barre as a political
maneuver (departing for Moscow, Siad Barre issued an order for an attack on
Jijiga), Mengistu announced that an essential condition for Ethiopian-Somali
negotiations would be the complete withdrawal of Somali forces from Ethiopian
territory. Siad Barre is now attempting to lead astray not only the Soviet
Union, but also the PDRY, the intermediation of which he had only recently
requested, as well as Madagascar. However, said Mengistu, although the
Soviet comrades and comrades from PDRY are taking a principled line in the
Somali-Ethiopian conflict, friends in the Republic of Madagascar do not understand
everything in the conflict and are inclined to believe the demagogic pronouncements
of Siad Barre.
2. Mengistu, who returned on 4 September from Jijiga,
told about the battle outside that population center ("the most powerful
tank forces in Africa"). On Somalia's side, four motorized mechanical
brigades (5, 8, 9 and 10) took part in the fighting. After the Somali
attack on Jijiga, which was repelled, Ethiopian forces counter-attacked and
repelled the Somalis, completely destroying one tank battalion. The
fighting in that region is continuing. It is possible, Mengistu noted
in this connection, that Siad Barre counted on a victory outside of Jijiga
for the purpose of forcing the Ethiopians into negotiations from a position
of strength, and in the event of a defeat, to "demonstrate good will
in the eyes of the Soviet Union."
3. Responding to a question from the Soviet Ambassador
(a "good question"), Mengistu stated that up until recently the
government of the Republic of Djibouti had taken an unfriendly position toward
Ethiopia in respect to the Somali-Ethiopian conflict, by prohibiting the landing
of Ethiopian aircraft in Djibouti, rendering medical assistance to wounded
Somali soldiers, and so forth. Now, however, that the Republic of Djibouti
is suffering a serious economic crisis as a result of Somali aggression and,
in particular, now that Somali saboteurs stopped the Addis Ababa-Djibouti
railroad from operating, its government has expressed a readiness to enter
into a trade relationship with Ethiopia. Mengistu is certain that this
positive development in the policy of the Government of the Republic of Djibouti
will gain strength.
In Djibouti, Mengistu continued, at the present
time there are three groups of political forces: (1) the party of the People's
Independence Movement (Marxist-Leninist), advocating independence and creation
of a progressive government; (2) the party of the National Union for Independence,
advocating nationalist positions for independence; and (3) the right-wing
party of the African People's League, advocating, in the final analysis, if
not annexation to Somalia, then at least the establishment of special relations
with it.
Ethiopia is supporting the People's Independence
Movement and advising that party to unite with the National Union for Independence
for the establishment of an independent existence for the Republic of Djibouti.
The People's Independence Movement does not exclude the possibility that in
the future that party will be required to resort to armed methods of conflict
against the present government, which is persecuting it.
In the opinion of Mengistu, the Soviet Union and
other socialist countries could, with the help of Ethiopia, if necessary,
establish contact with the People's Independence Movement and render support
to that party. Toward this end the Soviet Committee for Solidarity of
the Countries of Asian and Africa could dispatch a delegation to Addis-Ababa
or receive in Moscow a delegation of that party. It would be worthwhile
to join forces for this purpose, Mengistu stated, in order to prevent the
return of Djibouti to the imperialist bloc.
4. In response to related representations of the
Soviet Ambassador, Mengistu announced his readiness to meet with the Soviet
Chief Military Advisor and asked to be excused for the fact that, being occupied
with the leadership of military operations, he had not been able to do this
sooner.
5. As concerns the All-Ethiopian Socialist Movement,
Mengistu stated that the movement had now split into two groups, one of which
was inclined toward cooperation with the PMAC. The PMAC will continue
its advocacy of the merger of all Marxist-Leninist organizations and groups
into a single party and of the creation of a national front.
6. Responding to a question of the Soviet Ambassador,
Mengistu stated that the PMAC was preparing to reexamine the ranks of the
All-Ethiopian Committee on Peace, Friendship and Solidarity. Subsequently
the PMAC will inform the Embassy as to the manner in which it would be most
productive for the Soviet Committee on Solidarity of the Countries of Asia
and Africa to render cooperation to that Committee. In this connection,
as relates to assistance which the Soviet Committee intends to render to Ethiopia,
it would be possible to direct this assistance to the address of the Ethiopian
Committee on Peace, Friendship and Solidarity, simultaneously apprising the
PMAC about this.
AMBASSADOR
OF THE USSR
TO SOCIALIST ETHIOPIA
/s/
A. RATANOV
[Source:
TsKhSD, f. 5, op. 73, d. 1636, ll. 95-9; translated by Bruce McDonald.]
Soviet
Ambassador to Ethiopia A.P. Ratanov, Memorandum of Meeting with Mengistu,
10 September 1977
TOP
SECRET, Copy No. 2
From
the journal 29" September 1977
RATANOV,
A.P. Issue
No. 350
RECORD
OF CONVERSATION
with
the Chairman of the PMAC MENGISTU HAILE MARIAM
10
September 1977
On September 10, together with the heads of the
diplomatic missions of Bulgaria, Hungary, the GDR, PDRY, Poland, Czechoslovakia,
Romania, PDRK [People's Democratic Republic of Korea; North Korea], Cuba,
and Yugoslavia, I was invited to visit Mengistu Haile Mariam. From the
Ethiopian side, Atnafu Abate and Berhanu Bayeh, Deputy Chairman of the PMAC
and member of its Permanent Committee, respectively, took part in the meeting,
along with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Felleke Gedle-Giorgis.
Mengistu said that the goal of this meeting was
to inform the governments of the socialist countries and the PDRY, through
their representatives in Addis-Ababa, about the discovery by the PMAC of an
imperialist plot against the Ethiopian revolution, in which to some extent
or another are participating the USA (the initiator of the plot), Sudan, Saudi
Arabia, Egypt, Kenya, and Somalia.
According to the document, which fell into the
hands of the PMAC "from trusted sources," CIA official E. Kelly
from the USA Embassy in Nairobi has worked out a coordinated plan of action
of domestic Ethiopian counterrevolutionary forces and the countries which
support them, which envisages a range of acts at the end of September - beginning
of October of this year, which have as their goal the overthrow of the PMAC
and the creation of a pro-Western, reactionary government. Terrorist
acts in Addis-Ababa against members of the PMAC leadership and the organization
of a combined attack of military formations prepared on the territories of
Sudan and Kenya, and also a continuation of Somali aggression, are parts of
the plan.
In this regard Mengistu Haile Mariam said that
in the aforementioned document there are listed various types of military
sub-units and their specific tasks are set forth. The attack would begin
simultaneously from the north-west, west, and south in the direction of Addis-Ababa.
In fact, as far as Somalia is concerned, its forces which are located on the
territory of Ethiopia, on 10 September of this year again attacked Jijiga,
in the event of the capture of which they are planning an attack on the administrative
center of that region, Harar, and the great industrial center Diredawa. Battles
for Jijiga are continuing.
Among the number of parties and organizations which
are participating in the plot, Mengisu named the Eritrean separatist organization,
the Ethiopian Democratic Union, [and] the Movement for the Liberation of the
Afars (detachments of this movement would attack Assab).
In conclusion, having declared that the PMAC is
taking measures now to explode the schemes of the participants in the plot,
Mengistu expressed the hope that the socialist countries, whose assistance
is decisive for Ethiopia, will provide it at this critical moment the necessary
political and military support. In this regard he noted that one of the most
serious problems for Ethiopia may be the problem of fuel, since the Arab countries
intend to apply an embargo on deliveries of fuel to Ethiopa (which are realized
through the company Mobil).
The heads of the diplomatic missions promised to
bring the information which Mengistu had provided to the attention of their
governments.
AMBASSADOR
OF THE USSR
IN
SOCIALIST ETHIOPIA
/s/
A. RATANOV
[Source:
TsKhSD, f. 5, op. 73, d. 1636, ll. 139-40; translation by Mark H. Doctoroff.]
