Egyptian lobbyists behind draconian HR6600 draft bill against Ethiopia: EACC President

Addis Ababa, March 30, 2022 (FBC) – Egyptian lobbyist firms have been behind the draconian HR6600 draft bill against Ethiopia and cosponsor it, Ethiopian American Civic Council (EACC) President  Deacon Yoseph Romanework Teferi revealed.

EACC President, Deacon Yoseph Teferi told ENA that HR6600 draft bill consists of extremely harsh sanctions that have not been imposed in the past.

According to him, the draft bills HR6600 and S3199 would cut off Ethiopia from international financial grids.

The bills not only involve many international financial institutions but also the EU, United Kingdom, and NATO, the president added.

“I don’t know if people are aware that the United States has a number of levels of sanctions that they can put on countries. They start with simple threats, warnings, and they just squeeze the sanction harder and harder. However, this one will send us into levels of countries like Zimbabwe in the past that is inflation going about 1000 percent in every single day.”

In these sanctioning efforts Egyptian lobbying firms have been influencing the US Congress and Senate members to bring collateral damage to Ethiopia in the form of sanctions and isolation.

“There are lobbyists who basically push the interests of TPLF and Egypt. One of the most interesting things that has come out of this is, for example, HR 6600 has about half a dozen co-sponsors which support it. Half of the supporters that have been listed came as a result of Egypt’s lobbying firms,” he elaborated.

Yoseph further explained the genesis of HR6600 and S3199 essentially emanates from the US foreign policy regarding the Horn of Africa in general and in Ethiopia particularly.

“The US made the decision in what form and shape that they would like to survive the TPLF.  The geopolitical interest is served by the fact that they can guarantee TPLF in the broader dialogue, and that is why they are pushing on Ethiopia. They tend to just too really make sure that TPLF is part and parcel of that engagement.”

The president noted that HR6600 is really a sort of USA ideas, plans and wishes to make TPLF, one way or the other, relevant in the political discourse in Ethiopia after the group was soon dashed by a brilliant counter offensive that pushed them back into their territory in November 2021.

Although the EACC President Ethiopian American Civic Council is chairing other diaspora organizations with a long experience in dealing and lobbying, passing as well as stopping resolutions, he stressed that the bills HR6600 and S3199 are very serious and above the organization’s grade.

These resolutions are authored and pushed by the committee chairman such as congressional leaders.

“It’s not just one committee, but four committees that have endorsed this measure, including the Banking, Armed Services, and the judicial committees. So it’s the whole institution that basically has endorsed this and pushed it,” he noted.

Yoseph underscored that the current sanction threats cannot be fought with traditional methods and without the government’s active role.

He recommended that the Ethiopian government hire a high powered lobbying firm with close contact to the congressional leadership.