[Pol.ethiopia] News Items

[Political Ethiopia]

April 27, 2005

Major archaeological vestiges discovered at Axum World
Heritage Site

ADDIS ABABA (ENA) – The United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) says
that major archaeological vestiges have been
discovered at the World Heritage site of Axum by its
experts sent to the area to survey the site last week.

The experts were sent to prepare for the elevation of
the Axum Obelisk at its original location.

The last segment of the 160 tonnes 24.6 metre high
stele arrived at the airport of Axum Monday morning
after 68 years in Rome.

Elizabeth Wangari of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre
and Jim Williams of the Organization’s Culture Sector,
who took part in the mission declared: underground
chambers and arcades have been found in the vicinity
of the original location of the Obelisk.

Geo-radar and electro-tomographic prospect ion the
most advanced technologies for underground observation
revealed the existence of several vast funerary
chambers under the sites parking ground which was
built in 1963.

According to the experts, the site is a royal
necropolis used by several dynasties before the
Christian era, and it stretches considerably beyond
the perimeter of the present archaeological site, at
the foot of Mount Saint George and Mount Mariam.

Welcoming this important discovery UNESCO Director
General Koichiro Matsuura said: “It is likely that
some of the tombs identified through under-ground
imaging are intact.”

“Archaeological excavations would now be required to
uncover possible vestiges of major historical
interest.

The opening of these new tombs to the public would
represent, more over, an additional asset for the
site, which, by boosting cultural tourism, would
contribute to the economic development of the
country”.

The team of UNESCO experts, headed by archaeologist
Rodolfo Fattovich, an expert on Axum at the Insittuto
Universitario Orientale of Naples in Italy conducted a
“non-in-vasive archaeological prospect ion” of the
site.

The date collected through geo-radar and
electro-tomographic prospect ion, are being processed
at a laboratory of La Sapienza University in Rome and
will be used to create 3 dimensional models of the
royal tombs.

UNESCO says that the processed data will be
communicated to the governments of Ethiopia and Italy.

A number of tombs, some of them pillaged, have been
discovered in Axum since the 1970s.  Their riches are
at the archaeological museums of Axum and Addis Ababa.
 Only one of the Axum tombs, the Tomb of the False
Door, is open to the public.

The archaeological site of Axum consists of three
parts and contains 176 stelae: the Northern site, the
Gudit stelae field, named after the Jewish queen who
took power in the 10th century and the central area
where the stele, now known as the Axum Obelisk, used
to stand.  Its foundations form a 6-metre and 10 sq.
metre hole.

According to experts, pillagers caused the Obelisk to
topple over in either the 10th or the 16th centuries.

EPRDF says committed to complete forthcoming national
election peacefully

ADDIS ABABA (ENA) – The Ethiopian Peoples
Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) said it is
committed to complete the next May national elections
in a democratic, fair and peaceful manner.

In a statement it gave here yesterday, EPRDF Election
Executive Committee said there was no any activity
vent on obstructing the election ever since the
election process has begun on the part of the EPRDF.

Concerning the election, the EPRDF, has assessed the
process so far and what will be done in the remaining
period.

Committee member Tadesse Kassa said the decision
passed by the EPRDF Council lays July to hold the
election without any problem has been maintained.

More than 600,000 members of the Front have been
offered training in accordance with code of ethics
issued by EPRDF, he said.

Every contesting political party is campaigning freely
throughout the country, Tadesse said.

He said members of the Front have practically been
implementing the country’s electoral law without any
problem by resisting the challenges that come from
opposition parties.

Members of the EPRDF have also been fighting whenever
there are irregularities done by opposition parties,
he said.

EPRDF is also committed to hold the forthcoming
national elections peacefully and is working hard to
achieve this goal, he said and called upon the people
to contribute their share to curb activities vent on
hampering the election process.

Board publishes directive on polling stations
information

ADDIS ABABA (ENA) – The National Electoral Board
announced that 1.3 million copies of a directive on
polling stations information to be used by public
observers and representatives of candidates have been
published.

Board Logistics Distribution Section Head Biruk
Wondosen told ENA yesterday that the directive was
prepared in collaboration with the International
Electoral Amendment Services.

The directive contains information about each election
executives and support staff, candidates’
representatives and election observers, among others,
he said.

It also tells how election executives and
representatives of candidates escort election results
and materials to the respective constituencies after
ballot counting, Wondosen said.

He said 140,000 copies of polling stations directive
book have been readied for distribution.  The
publication of poster showing the ballot casting
process has also been completed, he added.

What makes this year’s election different is the
preparation of a document for receiving complaints
about irregularities, Wondosen said.


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Pol.ethiopia
April 28,2005
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