Israeli media reporting Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu has made a secret visit to saudi arabia. Hes reported to have met the crown Prince Mohammed bin salman. And the u. S. Secretary of state mike pompei o, who was in israel only last week, israeli Prime Ministers office isnt confirming or denying the reports from our force that in ramallah no denial and no official confirmation. But the lack of denial is pretty telling, especially given the fact that this isnt just one report. It has been pretty widely sourced by a number of israeli political journalists. And indeed, the Prime Ministers own social media comment advisor put out a tweet saying that while netanyahu is a Coalition Partner was playing politics, the Prime Minister was making peace. Now the headlines, joshua wong and 2 other hong kong prodemocracy activists have pleaded guilty to charges relating to last years protests. They will not be held in custody until sentencing next week and could face 5 years in jail. Any 40000 ethiopian refugees have now arrived in sudan, fleeing the fighting between government forces, government troops, and forces in the region. The o. P. s Prime Minister has given those forces 72 hours to surrender. Reuters is reporting the leader has rejected the ultimatum. Another pharmaceutical Companies Announced promising results from its trials of a Coronavirus Vaccine astra zeneca says late stage testing of its treatment shows, it can be up to 90 percent effective. Its been developing the vaccine with oxford university. And yemens hoti rebels say they have launched a missile at an fuel distribution station in saudi arabias. Western port city of jeddah saudi arabia has neither confirmed nor denied those claims up to date with the headlines on aljazeera up front is next. Realistically, how can you do with institutionalized corruption in this country . If we listen, if this breaks up into a conflict between august and india, this has implications for the rest of the world. We meet with global newsmakers and talk about the stories that matter last year. If the o. P. s Prime Minister won the Nobel Peace Prize, now hes waging war in the countryside north. What happened to democracy . And whos to blame allies . 2 senior officials from both sides of the conflict in this weeks up front special and just a few weeks, a power struggle in ethiopia between Prime Minister and the rebellious teenager. A region in the countrys north has escalated into armed conflict. Earlier this month, the government launched air raids on t. Gray after it accused its leaders to tikrit Peoples Liberation front or p. L. F. Of attacking a military base. The t. P. O. Left denies the attack, but with communications down and video barred. Its impossible to verify claims made by each side. Now 100 supported killed tens of thousands fleeing to neighboring sudan and p. L. F. Missile attacks on eritreas capital. There are fears the conflict could spill beyond borders and trigger, a humanitarian crisis. Joining me to defend at explain the t. P. O. , lets position is best to samer, an advisor to the Regional State government. A great and former ambassador to the u. N. But suffice to say, my thank you so much for joining me on outfront. Thank you for having me. So youre a member. 3 of the Peoples Liberation front, the t p l f, which ruled ethiopia for almost 30 years until 2018. When i became the Prime Minister. Now your party has been basically feuding with him ever since then. Or now the situation has deteriorated into war bombings, massacres, rockets fired into eritrea and deepening ethnic divisions. What happened to democracy for this show for did not rule for the city. For the last 30 years that has to be accorded to you or the dominant party though. What if it was a dominant, it must stop being because it was a Prime Minister who was dominated the party because of his intellect and what have you. But that is what the whole world wants to believe that tippit and some minority under 7 or 6000000 people were dominating if you appear. But i beg to differ that if it was not administering any part of the country except its own region, how to set off to grab, did bad things happen for the 27 units . Yes. And whether it is i. V. Didnt come out of nowhere. He was a member of the leadership, he was a member of the Central Committee executive committee, head of the national security. What have you before all, including the took care of and the other affiliated parties. And im going to say the idea of did accept the responsibility and they wanted to do for me if you we stick with taking the development out 14 feet. But what you just said earlier, the shortcomings in the problems we have. Why did i have you do . He believe is the problem of the country on the ticket. If he demolished the fair that allowed him to mint egypt guys in multinational country we have are not intimate affair that are listed. Even if you want to do that, you have to go through the corners to should he divided the political thinking among what you call us that are versus you need to state it so that if you had a fuse to participate in this kind of what you have going for the last century or so and so you can sense it. Ok. And some of these things that you are saying are valid concerns and we plan to put that to the other guest that we have and speaks on behalf of the government. But i have more questions for you in the meantime. So the team p. L. S. Had an opportunity to join the unity government and december and, and you did and you turned it down why . Because the Political Party is pro sort of tea party. You need to appeal this, paul, is this a unique to the state he is getting read off the faded out of enjoyment. That kind of coldest. You should that to feel if paid over 60000 feet is due to young people. I guess it does to bring avalos. The fear that im old michigan. Nationality should big have an exam. So the 4 weeks ahead of both is how yes you know them are either yes, yes, photocopy what he wants to be in each. No faith that are not going to meant so that the creative said no, its not me, were not. So youre saying 40 people, ok, so youre saying that he felt that it wasnt in your partys best interest. Im actually glad that you brought up eritrea. Lets talk about that right now because there is a concern that what is happening between abbies government and the tea p. L. F. Could spiral beyond ethiopias borders. This past weekend that spokesperson, pataki read it confirmed that the team had fired rockets on quote, military targets. Not anything but in eritrea on the capital asmara that certainly seems reckless. What is the goal. d what is too great trying to accomplish, doing this to eritrea . Let me tell you about the background to a fair trial and the current system, if you need to appear could it could be for us to see 1st answer. The question just what it was. I am going to answer to the question, but you have to have the background. What has happened is, you know, the contents and the fear. If you did fight side by side to get rid of the court order to move to a city jim not into war. And in 1908 is how yes opened a war against taking a border issue as an excuse. He was defeated and he has a good idea, is that theyre going to be put into to be a gift, because as that time. But i missed it was in each of the Defense Forces where mainly the how of the 100. So i said i could afford your defense. Let me finish. So here i said, i hate to destabilize and didnt know they would you that i side by side, what we have tanks crossing the border before that to appear. If there is an army, is making calls or party seeking regime change and to destabilize eritrea. It is not, it is not there to feel if its business secure. That is human, i was, it is protecting itself. I mean, you know, its only what we say. Yes. Yes, i just did it because you can confirm it from the sources of the south sudanese government. He has asked the 450000 soldiers to defeat, to go to the border that the forces into that incited to go back. They had to destroy the border town. Theres a number i can say that had into so that ok so eritrea. So i would, id let you have your time. So just a moment eritrea does deny that i want to talk. Now more about the human toll about what is happening. Amnesty international confirmed that likely hundreds of people were either stabbed or hat to death and make in the region almost 27000, people have fled the country. Hundreds of people are dead. Families are being traumatized. Thousands of people are homeless. Is all of this worth it for the fight for autonomy . Enough, you know, its a single last resort. Most of the members, but it is the people are defending themselves. And right, why do those tentative . They didnt of course, no border. They did not fight. They did nothing to, to be you completely one just people and this is, if it should be, it should be in the cushions of the people they International Community bestowed a noble peace prize that has a license to own citizens. So it wasnt very good to decide is a very strong word in a lot of whats happening in the region. Unfortunately, its very difficult to confirm because the region is so is so cut off. But just to be clear, when you Say Something like that, you talk about the outside world. What happens at the t. V. Left cannot count on cartoon to facilitate links to the outside world as it has in the past. I mean land lot as that land locked, pardon me between the rest of ethiopia, eritrea and sudan. The really is not a lot of connection to the outside world, but khartoum is not in the same position that it has been in the past to facilitate any of this. What happens to the t. P. Left, if it cannot count on khartoum to facilitate that . Whats happening . First of all, if i am telling you, if you doubt, and if it is not true, you should ask the International Community. The media like the b. B. C. To be out allowed to go into the ground to get our it is completely equal, not off. There is nothing thats come out that governments have the afghan hound because they have the media because International Coalition is. But this didnt come out one of the states, i am sure it getting by international media. The International Community should call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and all part of the should come to no bush interval. There has to be a money set and quoted or suffer. Are you concerned that this could erupt into a proxy war . It is already under, you know, war. I just told you editor i was there, you have said that about eritrea. Eritrea has denied that. Are you still concerned that it could become broader than that . There is a possibility of golf rivalries being at night and how concerned are you about that . It is already there. You know, if you is there to try to deny, and i said, look, i am here in new york talking to many countries. They do have their own sites and i think they know many constitutional whats happening as of egypt. They just want to look the other way. So every today is involved. He starts out into if you dont take my word for it, i ask for they took piano government to allow you to go to the im going to tell me what they are, what is the end goal for the t. P. L. F. . What is it that you want for ethiopia that took it out of people who wanted to live in peace as you call it was a restore one on the 10000000 into a pianist. No more nor less. They went to, i mean, he said to themselves, they were not accept that tight on the government dictating them like it has happened in the last 3 days. Snuffy, so it is out of me, they have been doing this out for 2527 years. They dont want to give up on that. Believe me that ryssdal, if you cant be honest, also want to do that. They just dont have this Strong Defense to gripe enough or know has this government has weak killing the almost a war like us for 2 and a half years it took we have been known for this before that a spiritual is to leave was in ethiopia. So long as they had a suspect, as their culture is respected, they couldnt be satisfied in the state. Ok, i want to ask you one last question. What is your message to the people of ethiopia beyond t. . Great people are scared and some of them might even say that this conflict is about a power struggle between the elites and has nothing to do with them. What, whats your message to them . The vast majority of future pianists, no venue where this is not the parser going to court, its the violence that killing half the displacement has been, you know, all part in all of that. If youre about to get out for the last 2 years, weve both to come to a negotiating table. People are suffering, people are dying, and therefore to feel if hes ready to do that, government is ready. Source that includes in full their political thinking that has to participate. We need to go toward negotiations and come out of the political solution. Otherwise, yes, this is good, i think, but i know by many standards just too strong a National Academies for special forces from a very mobilized, but they have no 2 exams to live that have a history. That will be the final word. Thats a to say my thank you so much for joining us on our project. Next up, im joined by zytiga, prague. Prime minister. Ill be at metz minister in charge of democratisation who until last year was actually a member of the t. P. L. F. Himself. So take a broad thank you for joining me on up front. A year ago, ethiopias Prime Minister was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize at the time. This is what he said. Its very striking. He said, war is the epitome of hell for all involved. I know because i was there and back now he is bombing part of his own country. The country is on the brink of civil war. What happened . Well, so years ago the people of ethiopia now split the loan. And if you have the kind of, you know, 4th, if you get it, its better still to believe was given the chance to believe it was too good to be resistant. But instead youre doing it is a really key. And then you can use this go isnt, lets talk about how things have escalated so far and how to deescalate that. And, so the u. N. Secretary general and tony, good terrorists actually call for immediate measures to deescalate tensions and ensure a peaceful resolution to the dispute. The tiberi regional president has publicly appealed to the African Union to mediate this conflict. Yet abhi outlet has refused offers of mediations. He says, this is an internal affair and it, and assuring the rule of law, why wont the Prime Minister allow mediators with for one thing, we have to be part of this initiative. Them to be forces of change for the past 3 years to believe chose to be here. And i dont know that betty let well, let me out in the middle of the just a moment in the day. Dont know sort of your system with the why. Why wont the Prime Minister allow mediators well, you know, who will, who, which government would see in their wishes we see dont in which it was a terrorist group that chose to kill our citizens. We had to do it to defend it. Again, people from any force of it for you know, the mission, this government, when it comes to peace, cannot be questioned. We are the ones that are suited to do good loaned to me to eat it. Did it . Is the party that was so to do this piece today of how this is normal and to question, oh, im going to go into the waiting just a moment. This madness or any you call them terrorist group. Thats a very, very harsh language, a group of which you were recently just a part of. But are you saying that there is no way to have any type of dialogue . The Prime Minister is a Nobel Prize Winner. Are you saying that he cannot sit down with this fellow country men be at the, the t. P. S. Later to sort out some sort of nonviolent solution. He spoke with eritrea and work things out. Is there not a way for him to deal with, with regional governments that something that if he has to tell if spokesperson has even call for these out in total, out of their country men, these People Choice to shoot in the forehead of our soldiers . I do sleep, these people try to loot and how doing that that would have meant to put it on people from any place you put in addition, this season. It is in this act of maximum sort of that one can possibly imagine. You cannot sit down, you cannot be asked what i did, but the standard is that you had serious, serious allegations about that. But the un human rights chief has warned that the situation could spiral out of controls that war crimes may already have been committed. More than 2 27000 refugees have fled to sid and Mc International supported large numbers, potentially hundreds of deadly hackings in an stabbings. Integrate just last week, which ever side is responsible in a lot of this is very difficult to confirm from from either side because of a blackout there. Whichever side of responsible are you saying that that a dialogue to stop this is just completely off the table and that it has to be force to give it in order to move the parties. S. B. C. Even as i was informed that he said, i know this because it kind of it, and it is not going to be easy simply trying to bait so that it will be needed to go to that country. So we need to increase the citizens you know, the c. D. C. 150000, that is what is what to eat is its going to be a nice tender you know, you call that a terrorist group. And i do want to point out that you are not willing to sit down with the representative from the team for a debate on this program. Thats why were conducting these separate one on one interviews. But i do want to put some of the allegations against the Prime Minister from the t. V. Left to you because theyre very, very serious. So folks per