Ethiopia and Vietnam

Press, 15 May 1985, Page 20

Ethiopia and Vietnam

Sir,—lkenezene Newton Gerard (May 13) repeats the claim that Ethiopia’s Marxist leaders spent S2SOM celebrating their 1974 takeover. No objective or independent source ever verified this. Ethiopia’s previous “most stable black African Government for 44 years” left a 1974 legacy as the poorest country in Africa (it still is) with lowest life expectancy, 85 per cent illiteracy, the world’s lowest rural road density and only 25 per cent of the land productive. Some “freedom.” Incidentally, your sub-leader (May 13) “Bitter fruits in Vietnam” omitted two major reasons why Vietnam is still struggling — its 10year systematic devastation by the United States and its allies, and the complete trade and aid embargo imposed by the same nations since 1979. Della Denman of the London “Observer” reported in 1983 that this embargo was having “a devastating effect on Vietnam.” America employs this same economic vindictiveness against Cuba and Nicaragua.—Yours, etc., M. T. MOORE. May 13, 1985.