November 7, 1977
Conversation between F. Trappen and K. Brutents (excerpts)
Conversation between East German Socialist Unity Party (SED) official F. Trappen and CPSU CC official K. Brutents, 7 November 1977 (excerpt)
Memorandum of Conversation between Comrade Friedel Trappen and Comrade Karen Brutents, Deputy Head of the International Relations Department of the Central Committee of the CPSU,7 November 1977
[Names of other participants]
Comrade Brutents thanked [Trappen] for the interesting information. The Soviet comrades completely agree with our policy. The information they just received [from the SED] contains several new aspects. There has been only little information on the developments within the Eritrean Liberation Movement, in particular concerning the Marxist forces within this movement. It would be of extraordinary importance if these contacts would make possible contacts between the Eritrean movement and the Ethiopian leadership which could lead to an armistice and pave the way for a peaceful political solution.
So far the Ethiopian leadership has not exhausted all possibilities for such a solution. It is necessary to support them in this, and in this sense the contacts facilitated by the SED are of great importance.
It now is important to utilize actively these contacts for fruitful political work in favor of a peaceful and political solution.
In the talks between the comrades of the CPSU and the Ethiopian delegation it was repeatedly emphasized that national problems cannot be solved militarily.
[Source: SAPMO-BArch, DY30 IV 2/2.035/126; obtained and translated by Christian F. Ostermann.]
Memorandum of Conversation between Comrade Friedel Trappen and Comrade Karen Brutents, Deputy Head of the International Relations Department of the Central Committee of the CPSU,7 November 1977
[Names of other participants]
Comrade Brutents thanked [Trappen] for the interesting information. The Soviet comrades completely agree with our policy. The information they just received [from the SED] contains several new aspects. There has been only little information on the developments within the Eritrean Liberation Movement, in particular concerning the Marxist forces within this movement. It would be of extraordinary importance if these contacts would make possible contacts between the Eritrean movement and the Ethiopian leadership which could lead to an armistice and pave the way for a peaceful political solution.
So far the Ethiopian leadership has not exhausted all possibilities for such a solution. It is necessary to support them in this, and in this sense the contacts facilitated by the SED are of great importance.
It now is important to utilize actively these contacts for fruitful political work in favor of a peaceful and political solution.
In the talks between the comrades of the CPSU and the Ethiopian delegation it was repeatedly emphasized that national problems cannot be solved militarily.
[Source: SAPMO-BArch, DY30 IV 2/2.035/126; obtained and translated by Christian F. Ostermann.]
The conversation focuses on the problems that Ethiopia is encountering with the Eritrean Liberation Movement
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SAPMO-BArch, DY30 IV 2/2.035/126; obtained and translated by Christian F. Ostermann.
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