As many of us are aware by now, Prof. Tom Campbell, during his tenure as a member of the US Congress, 15th District, has been one of the few positive voice for Eritrea in Capitol Hill, especially during the war conflict with Ethiopia. Tom Campbell, currently a Professor of Law at Stanford University, in Stanford California, continued his true friendship with Eritrea by recently visiting Eritrea with his wife, and while in Eritrea Prof. Campbell and his wife have been involved in teaching University of Asmara students and also conducting seminars in various international laws. Professor Campbell got his doctorate in Economics from the University of Chicago and a Law degree from Harvard

First of all, I would like to thank you on behalf of VOE staff and also our radio listeners for making yourself available from your busy schedule for this interview.

VoE: My first question is about your experience as a member of US Congress. How and when did you develop your interest in politics in general, and with African politics in particular?

TC: I was elected to Congress in 1988 and served for 4 yrs. I then left Congress when I tried for the Senate, did not succeed. But I came back to Congress in 1995, and it was in 1995 when I cam back to Congress that my interest in Eritrea began. I was appointed to the Africa sub-committee of the International Relations Committee, and I thought it was essential to travel to visit the places that were in the jurisdiction of the Committee. And many members of Congress as you know visit the major Capitals of Europe, but far fewer take the time to visit the Capitals of Africa and other cities other than the Capitals. So early on I was strongly advised by an employee at the Library of Congress, interestingly an American citizen of Ethiopian origin, that I should visit the Horn of Africa and get to know the issues there, they would be most important for the future. And he was right. So in November of 1997, my wife Suzanne and I flew off to Ethiopia and Somaliland and Eritrea. We flew to Asmara from Addis, one could so in those days, and then we visited Massawa and Keren. We stayed in Asmara for over a week, met with leaders in education and Health and Government, and took away a very favorable impression of the self-reliance and the honesty, the devotion to hard work of the Eritrean people. Well, I served in Congress until 2000 and I run once again for the Senate and once again, I did not win (laughter) and we can speak about that too, but when I left Congress, because if you run for Senate, you can not run for the House at the same time, I said to my wife that I want to go back to Africa and teach because now I am a teacher and she is also a University Administrator. And we sat down and discussed the over 20 countries that we visited in the sub-Sahara Africa, and the one we want to go back and teach was Eritrea out all of them. Because we were so impressed with the quality of people, the willingness to work, and these things suggested that if people of Eritrea were that devoted to their own betterment then that's where should go. So, we volunteered, we put our savings together and paid for airplane and went over to Asmara, and we just spent the month from December 15 to January 17.

Follow-up - VoE: Once, talking about a Christmas dinner that you spent in Asmara, I heard you several times mentioning that and that seems to have touched you. Can you tell us a little bit about it?

TC: Well, it was wonderful. My wife and I were invited to the home of one of our dear friend, an American citizen of Eritrean origin, Teclu Tesfazghi. His family in Asmara, and they invited us to come over and, it was just wonderful. We went from their home to a traditional Eritrean restaurant that have prepared in the Eritrean way. Of course, we had the Teff and the coffee ceremony, popcorn. It was a Christmas spent with a family in every sense of the word. And when we were first in Eritrea, we had Thanksgiving in Eritrea. So that's another holiday and this time we had mid-nigh mass, Orthodox Christmas, because Orthodox Christmas came in a little bit later, so we were able to go to the mid-night mass, and, oh we stayed over 2 hours, and most happy celebration of Christmas that I can remember.

VoE: Let me take you back now to the time when the war between Eritrea and Ethiopia erupted. It was clear that most American Congressmen and women remained neutral, and some even sided with Ethiopia. Can you share your thoughts why this happened? And also can you tell us why you decided not to remain neutral?

TC: I could not remain neutral. I could not remain neutral once I learned the truth of what was happening. I had several very valuable source of information. One is what I heard from the Library of Congress. As I mentioned before they have a very good research of African matter particularly. And they are not the same as the State Department's, so the new are not filtered through the State Department, so a member of Congress can get intelligence from source that is independent of what the Secretary of State may be presenting. Secondly, I had made friends with several Peace Corp volunteers who were living in Eritrea, who stayed there during the war, and were communicating with me by e-mail and telling me what happening. And what I learned was that, particularly the later offensive, towards the last offensive, towards the end of the war, that the Ethiopian army had put huge numbers of troops in formation up under the battle lines, and were sending them to Eritrea with their own tanks behind them so they would be killed if they turn back, and basically it is a human-wave tactics. That troubles me greatly. It is a lack of respect for ones, the lives of ones' owns let alone the lives of whom were that time enemies. Also I was most concerned about the hate radio. Your remember the hate radio had figured so prominently in the genocide in Rwanda, that I am particularly sensitized, and will be I think for the rest of my life to such a situation ever occurring again in Africa or anywhere else in the world for that matter. And what troubled me was the news that the government had made use of the radio in Addis to turn the Ethiopian people to their neighbors who might be Eritrean, saying "report your neighbor, your neighbors is a suspect, your neighbor is not to trusted." And then the massive deportation of Eritrean from Ethiopia, some not even given enough time to gather their belongings. So, what could I do? I could remain silent? No. That was impossible if you have any conscious. Can you say, well were they were both bad? Yes sure, the war has always something bad on each side, but it was not true to say that, in the light of the end situation with that last wave of offensive and use of the hate radio that thing were equal. They were not. Ethiopia could have stopped the war and did not have to engage in the mass deportation and the use of a hate radio, so I spoke out. And I spoke our in the House floor, and I spoke in public rallies so that the United States if it stands up for principle, should stand up for the right of the Eritreans to their own country not to have the referendum of 1991 turn back and, the freedom of 1991 and the referendum of 1993 turn back, and also that we should speak our strongly against the kind of human rights concerns I just described. Now most members remained silent or neural largely because they did not study the matter. I don't describe any bad will, but it is difficult as a member of congress to find our a lot about everything that is happening around the world. And, Ethiopia was and is much larger and powerful force in the Horn of Africa, and a traditional ally of the Unites States. So, I think that, if one did not wish to study the matter, one might be simply inclined to say, "why should I make enemies with Ethiopia?" And the number of Ethioian American is much greater that the number of Eritean Americans. And I am proud to have may Ethiopian Americans among my friends, that doesn't take anything away from them, but if one has a conscience and one sees violations of human rights around the world, one should speak out or else they will continue.

Follow ups - VoE: Thanks a lot, you have given us a lot of detail on that. I really don't want to take a whole lot of time on this one because you have given us a clear picture, especially many of us were concerned of the many Congressmen and women who remained neutral, but you have explained that to us and we appreciate that. But what I want to talk to you about was that what I mentioned to you earlier, when we were holding a lot of demonstrations, and the one in particular at the Capitol Hill where we held a 24 hr non-stop demonstration. At that time when the demonstration was going on, the bombing was also going on you know, and that was at the heights of the 3rd offense. We Eritreans were gathered there and we needed to hear a voice of comfort and you came on and spoke eloquently to us. And you denounced Ethiopia and also Meles's atrocities against Eritrea, and in may of us this still remains as a symbolic gesture that you have made, and you held us together and prayed with us. Can you tell us what was going though your mind at that time?

TC: I can Haile. It was a very emotional for me as well. It was a moment to stand-up and be counted. It was not a moment to be silent. And I also.. I though of the killing of people who were not going to see brothers and fathers and sons and daughters and mothers and sisters ever again. For what purpose? Because one side in this particular this third offense wanted to punish the other to establish I suppose a pain, a price that to be paid, but that's a price paid in individual life. So what I was thinking at that moment was the Eriteran families that I have visited and particularly the area around Keren, where I had gone out to visit the countryside getting outside of the main city. How a wonderful lady had brought us into her home and given us coffee and popcorn, welcomed us. We did not speak any Tigrinya regrettably, but she knew the language of friendship, and I though that could be a brother or son of hers who was on the front lines. I though also of the struggle. It was not just this war but the long 30 years of struggle against the tyranny of the Derg, which the Eritrean had fought on their own without help from America, with out help form Russia, without help from Europe, without help from anyone, and the miracle of their success. And now sad it was that this being followed now by another huge loss of life. And as I understand, the totals are horrible. A hundred twenty thousand dead, of whom 20 thousand were Eritrean,100 thousand were Ethiopian, and one has to weep for all of them. So, those were the reasons. And one last… I believe in Jesus Christ and I believe that he is the son of God and that He is the prince of peace, and I felt that what was happening was something that no one who believes in Jesus and his mercy could ignore. Whether one is Christian or not, and I know many many good people that are Moslem, and in Eritea many many Christians are good as well, but how sad if we look the other way. That is not in keeping with my religion

Now taking you back to the time you made a decision to run for the Senate. You sponsored a Bill in Congress on Eritrea the day that you announced you intention to run for a Senate. Can you elaborate on the Bill and also your decision to run for a Senate at the same time?

Part II