The prime minister delivered the warning during a parliamentary debate on the President's opening speech delivered at the House of Peoples' Representatives.

Meles' warning came in response to the accusation put forward by the Bulcha Demeksa, chairman of the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM), about the alleged persecution of Oromos. Bulcha questioned the validity of the president's speech for its failure to mention what he called the plight of Oromos.

"Oromos are being chased after, killed and harassed. How come the president of Ethiopia did not raise this issue? We hoped that the president would extend a request for some kind of reconciliation but in vain," Bulcha said. He said that the kind of mass arrest facing Oromos cannot be overlooked.

"The government would probably say that they have jailed some people because they have committed crimes. But how can thousands of people commit crimes at the same time? If thousands are jailed, it means there is no peace in the country," the chairman insisted.

Recently, according to Bulcha, more than two hundred people were jailed. He even mentioned the arrest of an Oromo student on Monday, right after he talked to him. He challenged the government to deliver democracy in practice, not verbally.

Meles responded to the accusations that the Oromo people as a whole have not been jailed or harassed. Of the many millions of Oromo people a little over 200 of them could be arrested, which he said is very few. He posed a question as to who is being arrested. He said that only those engaged in subversive activities on behalf of OLF have been arrested.

"If there is any one who equates all the Oromo people with that of OLF, that's his problem. OLF and the Oromo people are not one and the same thing," Meles emphatically said.

He accused OLF for instigating people not to celebrate the Ethiopian millennium because the calendar does not belong to "Oromos", although, the celebration was conducted colorfully by Oromos as well as others.

According to the PM, the fact that 1-2 million Oromos gathered a few weeks later following the millennium festivities to celebrate Iretcha (Oromo festival) seemed to have sent a message for those instigators.

Meles told parliament that his government tried to approach OLF people to try to solve their differences peacefully. He added that he even personally met some of their representatives to talk about pace but to no avail. He accused the front of collaborating with the Eritrean government and Somali Jihadists, and implanting bombs in Ethiopia and wrecking people's lives.

The government had to respond and contain OLF, PM Meles insisted: "If the government kept quiet and did nothing about it, it would be, not just negligence of duty but criminal because every government has the responsibility to protect its citizens." He added that it is not the government that is primarily going after OLF people, but the Oromo people themselves, especially in the rural areas. His hope is that the on-going operation would bear fruit within several months.

Moreover, he warned parties with seats in parliament not to serve as fronts for OLF. "We know beyond any shadow of doubt that some opposition parties are serving the OLF. We also know that some people in these parties at a higher echelon are OLF members. When we gather the evidence, we will take them to court," Meles insisted.

The PM also discussed the issue of Ethiopian troops' presence in Somalia. He made a sarcastic remark about the international media's coverage of the conflict in Somalia and Somali region in Ethiopia.

"The international media's concern regarding the situation in Somali region manifested itself in the report that my colleague Abbay Tsehaye (the PM's security advisor) was surrounded by Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) fighters, and that he escaped capture by flying out by helicopter. His office is next to mine and he was there all the time. It is ironic that he alone was surrounded while I was not. This shows what kind of coverage the international media is giving," Meles told MPs who burst out laughing, Meles said that his government tried to solve the conflict in the region peacefully through the mediation of elders. The effort did not bear fruit and several months back the ONLF forces carried out a military attack on oil workers in Ogaden where 65 Ethiopians and 9 Chinese were killed.

"This time around", Meles added, "we decided that unless we take corrective measures it would amount to a crime on our part." According to the PM, it is the Somali people who are primarily chasing away the ONLF, and that the government is giving support.

With regard to Ethiopian troops in Somalia, three factors must be fulfilled for Ethiopia to withdraw its forces from Somalia, as the prime minister put it. The first one is when the Somali transitional government demand Ethiopian troop's withdrawal. The second is when the African Union is able to send peacekeeping troops while the third one is when the Ethiopian government decides that the situation in Somalia is not improving. "We don't want to spend our resources in a conflict in which there is no result," Meles concluded.

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