We have no intention of playing fast and loose with this document, with the OAU process, ... We only hope that this time around the other side really means what it says.

The... provisional government unwaveringly believes that it can solve all the present problems together with the broad masses of Ethiopia. However, we can do this only if all the people come out in unison to implement our planned undertakings.

After Nigeria, we are the second biggest black African nation. We are the headquarters of the African Union. We are the only African country that has never been colonized. This is perhaps the last surviving African civilization.

I think the Eritrean government is aware that any full-scale invasion of Ethiopia along the lines of 1998 could turn out to be suicidal... And we will not respond to any provocation short of all-out invasion. We are already engaged in a much more fruitful war - against poverty.

The most stupid mistake a counter-insurgency operation can make is alienating the population. If you alienate the population, you're finished.

I know more now than I did in the past about the process of democratization. I know more about the pitfalls.