ETHIOPIA: Toward the Sea

Monday, Dec. 04, 1950

Landlocked Ethiopia once had a seacoast. It fringed the strategic waters where the Red Sea
runs into the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. In the 19th Century the British, the French
and finally the Italians each grabbed themselves a wedge of Ethiopia's shore. In their
portion called Eritrea (pop. 1,000,000; area 50,000 sq. mi.), the Italians of Benito
Mussolini's Fascist era rebuilt the old city of Asmara. From Eritrea the Italians launched
their conquest of Emperor Haile Selassie's domain. It took World War II to drive the
Italians out again and put Haile Selassie back on the throne.
Since war's end, Eritrea has been under temporary British care. Three years ago, the Big
Four (Britain, France, Russia, U.S.) drafted a peace treaty with Italy in which the final
disposition of Eritrea was left for U.N. decision. A five-member mission studied the
problem, even visited the former Italian colony, but the commission split, made three
separate reports. Last week the Eritrea issue came up for discussion before the General
Assembly's Special Political Committee.
The U.S.S.R. proposed outright independence for Eritrea. Poland plumped for
independence in three years, Pakistan in two. Iraq wanted an Eritrean
National Assembly to decide between independence and federation with Ethiopia. Foreign
Minister Ato Abte-Wold Aklilou, Haile Selassie's spokesman, insisted that Eritrea belonged
to their country, was Ethiopia's rightful window on the sea. Fourteen other nations,
including the U.S., moved that Eritrea be given home rule within a great Ethiopia. The
committee approved the resolution, dispatched it to the full Assembly.