"To Free Ourselves From Backwardness"

At times this austere leader, the son of an army sergeant, seemed to be trying to enfold himself in the mythic, superhuman image of past Ethiopian emperors. Dressed in a simple royal blue tunic, Mengistu Haile Mariam received TIME Chief of Correspondents Henry Muller and Nairobi Bureau Chief James Wilde at the headquarters of the ruling Workers' Party of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa. The occasion: a rare interview with a U.S. publication. Mengistu sat at the head of a long U-shaped table in a sparse conference room decorated with portraits of Marx and Lenin and other revolutionary trappings. Throughout the four-hour interview, he remained statue-still, his impassive face animated only by an occasionally furrowed brow. Mengistu refused to answer any questions that had not been previously submitted. While he spoke softly, his words carried a tone of icy, uncompromising certitude. Not once did his eyes focus on his guests; at times he appeared to be speaking to an unseen audience, or to the portraits on the wall. Excerpts from the interview:

On the famine. Nature recently has improved its patterns, as evidenced by this year's rains, although the distribution is not as even as we would like it to be. People still do not have adequate food, and their caloric intake is still not sufficient. Only when we can produce greater quantities of food and have sufficient reserves can we fully overcome the problems of drought. It will take some time before we can do this.

On forced resettlement. The concept is not new. In fact, no less an organization than the World Bank long ago recommended moving populations away from areas where the soil is degraded as a way of combating the increasing erosion of our agricultural land. In addition, resettlement provides new opportunities to people in areas affected by drought and to those in highly crowded areas where landholdings are shrinking. Some Western countries have seen the sincerity of what we are doing and are helping us.

On his "villagization" policy. What makes developing countries really backward is their inability to benefit from modern science and technology. The settlement pattern of large parts of Ethiopia is scattered. People live in isolation on hilltops and inaccessible mountainsides. This has brought considerable disadvantage, exposing our people to natural and man-made calamities. Soil and weather vary from place to place. It is only when you have peasants together in villages that they can benefit from science and technology to combat difficult conditions.

Why is this well-intentioned strategy viewed with prejudice in some quarters in Western countries? It is wrong to conclude that the objective of villagization is to build socialism; this is something that can come about ! only over a very long time. Our main objective is first and foremost to free ourselves from backwardness.

On private enterprise. Ours is a national democratic revolution and not a socialist revolution at this stage. To transform Ethiopia from a feudal to a modern state we need the participation of all sectors. The role of private capital is quite prominent: private farming accounts for 95% of agricultural production. We have laws and special provisions for private investment. We do not reject foreign investment. It is unthinkable for a country to have substantial economic development in isolation. We have a joint-venture law for the introduction of foreign capital, technology and skills. A number of American and European firms have demonstrated interest in working in Ethiopia, and some operations are already under way.

On the new constitution. We are now on the threshold of the formation of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The constitution was drafted by representatives of the people themselves. It has been submitted to all Ethiopian citizens, including those living abroad, and it will be promulgated after it is put to a referendum. Such democratic participation is unparalleled in the history of Ethiopia. Once the constitution assumes its final shape, Ethiopia will never again be ruled by the personal absolutism of any one individual or a handful of individuals. There will be no more discrimination according to sex, religion or ethnic origin, no more nepotism or exploitation.

On regional conflicts. The region's problems have their roots in the legacy of colonialism. The principal problem has been with Somalia, which seeks to expand its frontiers at the expense not only of Ethiopia but of other countries too. My meeting with Somali President Siad Barre last January was undertaken at our initiative. Although one cannot expect to wipe away such long-standing problems in one stroke, the beginning has not been without hope.

The problem in Sudan is internal. As an expression of our goodwill, we made meetings between warring Sudanese factions possible. Because we are neighbors, all major political and social disturbances overflow into Ethiopia. We think the proper solution for Sudan is to address its fundamental problems. We are perfectly willing to develop good relations between our two countries.

On relations with the U.S. The Ethiopian people have no hatred toward any people, especially not toward the American people. The U.S. is no stranger to us. We still have full diplomatic relations, as well as trade relations. But from the onset of our revolutionary process, our relations have not been as they should be. Ethiopians had the basic right to fight oppression, to overthrow the monarchy. The fact that we exercised this right should not have irritated Washington. But we were denied aid that had been given previously. Just as we accept the social and political order in the U.S., the U.S. should accept the social and political choice we have made. The failure of the U.S. to do so is the source of the problem.

Even now, there are signs not of improvement but of worsening relations. How can any efforts we make to improve relations have a chance? U.S. support for anti-Ethiopian elements might lead to trouble for us, to individual sacrifice, but will not change our direction. The heritage of such a U.S. policy will be only to poison and embitter coming generations of Ethiopians. Parties come and go, but peoples and countries will always be there.