Political parties end meeting without agreeing on negotiators

Addis Ababa, March 18, 2017 (FBC) – The 22 national political parties concluded their today’s meeting without reaching agreement on whether to involve third-party intermediaries or not in the upcoming dialogue.

During the meeting, all opposition political parties suggested the dialogue to be mediated by neutral bodies.

The ruling party, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), for its part opposed the idea and said “a third-party negotiator is unnecessary.”

After discussing on the issue for six hours, all parties agreed to meet again on March 29, 2017 to pass decision on it.

During the meeting, other parties also opposed Ethiopian Federal Democratic Unity Forum’s (MEDREK) proposal to negotiate with EPRDF separately being as a chief negotiator.

In the next meeting, the political parties are also expected to approve the draft modality prepared for the dialogue.