LONDON: A memorial was held in London for late Ethiopia Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who passed away last year. Representatives of the Ethiopian Embassy in the UK praised Meles' contributions to the East African country and Africa as a whole this week. "It was a nice memorial and something brings together Ethiopians and those interested in supporting our country," an embassy official told Bikyanews.com. The event was attended by former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, former UK Secretary of State for International Development Clare Short, government officials, corporate leaders and other high level dignitaries. Ethiopians residing in London also attended the memorial in large numbers. Brown said, "no leader has worked like Meles to fight poverty, the worst of all enemies". He added, "Meles was a man of deep conviction that believed development must bring tangible benefits to the public; his economic policies were instrumental in the construction of thousands of schools [and] health stations which lifted millions out of poverty." Short, for her part, said "Meles was one of the most brilliant politicians she ever met in her political career". She said "he was a man who worked hard to increase women's participation, lower corruption and contributed in making Ethiopia one of the fastest growing economies in the world". Short went on to add that, "Meles enabled Ethiopia's developmental state to be a successful model for development." Ethiopia's Ambassador to the UK, Birhanu Kebede, in his speech, expressed his strong belief that the recent launch of the Meles Foundation will help in ensuring the continuity of Meles' legacy and contributions to Africa's peace, development, justice and democracy. Meles died suddenly in August 2012 after having disappeared from public view for months with an unknown illness. While his death has been seen as a point of hope for activists in Ethiopia, the human rights situation in Ethiopia remains tenuous at best. BN
