Atlanta (left) and Seattle (right)
So far, a series of meetings across the U.S. headed by Deputy Prime Minister of EPRDF, Addissu Legesse, regarding "investment and development in Amhara regional state," have been anything but successful. Apparently, barely twenty people showed up in San Jose, with meetings in other cities being cancelled or lasting minutes before the Deputy PM was forced to exit due to heckling from supporters of Ethiopia's imprisoned opposition party members. Addissu Legesse's coast-to-coast tour started in San Jose, and on to Seattle, Atlanta, Boston, and is scheduled to end in Washington DC, bastion of opposition groups. Will the Deputy PM cut short his failed tour and fly back to Addis, or opt for complete humiliation?
Video: Addisu Legesse heckled in Boston
Update, Sept. 2, 2006: No surprise, Addissu Legesse cancelled his meeting at the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington DC due to poor attendance. Hundreds of Ethiopians were waiting outside the Embassy ready to confront him, or anyone else who chose to enter the meeting. The Deputy PM can use the long flight back to Ethiopia to question what on earth possessed him to attempt such a disastrous public relations tour of the Diaspora.
