Ethiopia welcomes Libyan mediation to halt conflict with Eritrea
Ethiopia-Eritrea, Politics, 7/5/1999

The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry on Sunday welcomed efforts exerted by Libya and other friendly countries in order to reach a crease-fire in the horn of Africa. But the Ethiopian ministry also stressed the importance of Eritrea's withdrawal as called for by the plan of the Organization of African Unity.

The Libyan news agency JANA said last Friday that Libyan diplomacy has succeeded in having an initial consent from Addis Ababa to ceasefire with Eritrea.

The Libyan news agency added that the sides concerned accepted the immediate cease fire of all military acts in preparation for signing a cease-fire agreement and for carrying out measures to settle the conflict.

However, the Ethiopian Foreign ministry stressed that Addis Ababa is still committed to the framework of the OAU plan, which calls for Eritrea's withdrawal from the territories occupied by Eritrea since May 6, 1998.

The African affairs official at the Libyan Foreign Ministry, Ali al-Tureiki, met on June 22 in Addis Ababa with Ethiopian officials and other officials from the OAU.

The ministry indicated that Ethiopia is committed to immediately implementing the agreement.

Ethiopia is persistent that the OAU peace plan calls for Eritrea's withdrawal from the Ethiopian territories it occupied on May 6, 1998 and the return of the Ethiopian civil administration to these areas.

For its part, Asmara said it has fulfilled the conditions of the OAU plan through its withdrawal at the end of February following military confrontations from the Badme area and its surroundings which are under the conflict.

Ethiopia finds that the OAU plan calls for the withdrawal of the two countries' armies from the border area, keeping the area free of weapons, and deploying peacekeeping forces there for a six-month period as well as for assigning an independent committee for demarcation of borders between the two countries

The OAU, which is to hold its annual summit in Algiers in the middle of this month, did not take any official position toward the different viewpoints adopted by the two countries.

Ethiopia, meanwhile, announced that the antipersonnel mines had caused the deaths of 26 persons and wounded another seven in Badme district, to the northwestern part of the country since last March.

Previous Stories:
  Eritrea speaks of victories against Ethiopian forces   (7/2/1999)
  Conflicting news between Ethiopia, Eritrea   (6/28/1999)
  Eritrea holds Ethiopia responsible for continued fighting   (6/25/1999)

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