The Chairperson of Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ), Wzt. Birtukan Mideksa, and the four vice-chairmen of the party met with American Ambassador to Ethiopia Donald Yamamoto on Tuesday, July 8.
According to Ethiopian Review sources, the secret meeting had focused on UDJ’s preparations for the 2010 elections and the kind of assurances that the party can receive from the U.S. and other donor nations.
Independent local journalists and analysts are speculating that Yamamoto is trying to use UDJ against the other opposition parties by promising relaxation of some of the restrictions imposed on the party. It is not known what the UDJ officials promised in return.
Meanwhile, some members of the UDJ executive committee have started to complain about the speech Prof. Mesfin Woldemariam gave last Sunday in Washington DC condemning organizations that chose to raise arms against the fascist regime of Meles Zenawi. The executives are heard saying that the professor’s position does not represent the party.