Bill Text: CA AR17 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relative to Eritrea.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-06-08 - Introduced. [AR17 Detail]

Download: California-2011-AR17-Introduced.html

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BILL NUMBER: HR 17	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Allen

                        JUNE 8, 2011

   Relative to Eritrea.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
             HOUSE OR SENATE RESOLUTIONS DO NOT CONTAIN A DIGEST



   WHEREAS, In 1890 Eritrea became an Italian colony; and
   WHEREAS, Italian colonization of the region was ended when the
British forced the Italians out and reinstated Haile Selassie in
Ethiopia during World War II; and
   WHEREAS, In 1952, despite Eritrean opposition, a United Nations
resolution federating Eritrea with Ethiopia went into effect. The
resolution ignored Eritrean pleas for independence but guaranteed
Eritreans some democratic rights and a measure of autonomy. Almost
immediately after the federation went into effect, however, these
rights began to be abridged or violated; and
   WHEREAS, In 1962, Emperor Haile Sellassie unilaterally dissolved
the Eritrean parliament and annexed the country, sparking the
Eritrean fight for independence from Ethiopia that continued after
Haile Sellassie was ousted in a coup in 1974; and
   WHEREAS, The new Ethiopian government, called the Derg, was a
Marxist military junta led by Ethiopian strongman Mengistu Haile
Miriam; and
   WHEREAS, During the 1960s, the Eritrean Liberation Front led the
Eritrean independence struggle; and
   WHEREAS, In 1970, some members of the group broke away to form the
Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF); and
   WHEREAS, By the late 1970s, the EPLF had become the dominant armed
Eritrean group fighting against the Ethiopian government, with
Isaias Afwerki as its leader; and
   WHEREAS, The EPLF used material captured from the Ethiopian army
to fight against the government; and
   WHEREAS, On May 24, 1991, after 30 years of armed struggle, the
Eritrean forces finally defeated the army of Ethiopian military
dictator Mariam and EPLF leader Afewerki immediately declared Eritrea
a sovereign state; and
   WHEREAS, In April 1993, after two years of de facto independence
under the leadership of Afewerki, Eritrea held a United
Nations-sponsored referendum on independence that was approved by
99.8 percent of Eritrean voters; and
   WHEREAS, Independence was officially declared on May 24, 1993; and

   WHEREAS, The strong sense of national identity forged during 30
years of secessionist civil war proved invaluable in establishing a
stable atmosphere for the country's first years of sovereignty and
helping the nation persevere through two years of bloody border
conflict with Ethiopia; and
   WHEREAS, Cultural development was an integral part of the
liberation struggle and has remained so since Eritrea's independence,
both as an expression of national identity and as a crucial
foundation upon which the nation itself is built; and
   WHEREAS, During the armed struggle for liberation, Eritrean
cultural values played an important role in strengthening the
commitment towards national unity and freedom. Today, those same
values highlight the country's sovereignty, as they determine the
country's aspirations for peace and prosperity for all its citizens;
now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the
Assembly of the State of California recognizes the profound
significance of the history of Eritrea, and its future aspirations,
on the country's 18th year of independence; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.