Institute President Disappointed by Short-sightedness
 of Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act of 2007
 
 Calls on Senate to Reconsider Restrictions on Security Assistance
 
 
Washington, D.C. – Institute on Religion and Public Policy President Joseph
K. Grieboski released the following statement on the passage of *H.R.2003, *
*Ethiopia** Democracy and Accountability Act of 2007* by the House of
Representatives:
 
 
 
"The Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act of 2007 is a perfect example
of positive Congressional intent that will result in negative consequences.
Congressional leaders had hopes that the bill would serve to improve
democratic and civil conditions on the ground; instead, it only serves to
jeopardize American security relations in Africa, and around the globe.
 
 
 
Ethiopia has made outstanding progress in democratic development, human
rights, religious freedom, political and civil rights. Despite this
improvement, the House of Representatives wishes to impose its own timeline
and its own standards on Ethiopia's advance.
 
 
 
The House of Representatives does nothing to advance human rights and
democracy by imposing H.R. 2003's restrictions on aid to Ethiopia. Such
limits serve to hinder Ethiopia's ongoing battle with religious extremism in
the Horn of Africa and to deter Ethiopia's capacity to continue the ongoing
assistance and support it has provided both directly and indirectly in the
global fight against terrorism.
 
 
 
It is particularly telling that the House of Representatives went out of its
way to endanger military support to Ethiopia – an ally that has demonstrated
its commitment to American interests, fighting global extremism, and moving
forward on democratic progress – yet has not intervened in an arms sale
package expected to total $20 billion over the next decade for Saudi Arabia
despite Saudi's refusal to improve religious freedom conditions even after
agreeing to do so with the State Department, its ongoing impediment to
American plans and interests in Iraq, and its position as the primary
exporter of religious extremism and religion-based terrorism around the
globe.
 
 
 
H.R.2003 is a threat to American political and security interests in the
Horn of Africa and in Africa as a whole and only serves to alienate yet
another ally with a sticks-but-no-carrots approach to foreign policy.
 
 
 
It is imperative that the United States Senate reexamines the merits of H.R.
2003 as currently drafted and amend the bill to provide the appropriate
democratic tools and capacity-building agenda, before it causes undue harm
to American interests."
 
 
 
Joseph K. Grieboski
Founder and President, Institute on Religion and Public Policy (
www.religionandpolicy.org)
Secretary General, Interparliamentary Conference on Human Rights and
Religious Freedom (www.interparliamentary.org)
2007 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee
1620 I Street, NW, Suite LL10, Washington, DC 20006
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