Red Stars at a Big Parade

East German Communist Party Boss. Erich Honecker may have canceled his trip to West Germany, but last week he made it to Addis Ababa, where the flag flying over Revolution Square had more comforting look: red and emblazoned with the hammer and sickle. Honecker was in the Ethiopian capital with Soviet Politburo Member Grigory Romanov at a three-hour parade to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the military coup that overthrew former Emperor Haile Selassie. Dominating the scene was a towering portrait of Ethiopian Leader Lieut. Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam, 43, the U.S.-trained soldier who had just been chosen Secretary-General of the Workers Party of Ethiopia, the newly inaugurated Communist party.

As a reward to Mengistu for bringing Ethiopia into the Communist fold, Moscow has signed a new economic agreement with Ethiopia. Apparently, though, it will not pay the bill for all of the attendant celebrations: a reported $250 million.