ETHIOPIA: Prime minister brands EU election report "garbage"

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

ADDIS ABABA, 30 Aug 2005 (IRIN) - Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi described as "garbage" on Monday an EU election report that raised doubts over the fairness of the country's recently concluded national polls.

"The statement, in my view, shows that the mission has turned out to be something worse than a farce," he said at a news conference in Addis Ababa, the capital.

"We shall, in the coming days and weeks, see what we can do to expose the pack of lies and innuendoes that characterise the garbage in this report," he added.

The EU's chief election observer, Ana Gomes, said on Thursday that key aspects of Ethiopia's 15 May parliamentary elections had failed to meet international standards. She reported widespread human rights abuses and said opposition members were arrested and witnesses to election violations intimidated.

Meles said: "What the implications of this will be in terms of relations between Ethiopia and the EU we will have to wait and see. But I don't think you will be surprised if Ethiopia were to insist that it should not be patronised."

In a statement released on Friday, the EU said the 10-page report was "balanced and impartial".

The EU is one of Ethiopia's most important donors, funding food aid and development programmes worth at least 400 million euros (US $490.9 million) every year.

[ENDS]