Eritrea accepts end to hostilities with Ethiopia

Eritrea has accepted an Orgaization of African Unity (OAU)Proposal for an immediate cessation of hostilities between Ethiopia and Eritrea. It has formally communicated its acceptance to the OAU through a letter from the Eritrean Foreign Minister, Haile Woldensae, to the Special Envoy of the OAU, Mr. Ahmed Ouyahia.

The OAU Proposal, which has the full backing of the OAU's partners in the peace effort, the United States and the European Union, was presented to the two parties today in Algiers.

In addition to the immediate cessation of hostilities, which has been a key and consistent Eritrean demand for the past two years, this proposal provides for the withdrawal of invading Ethiopian troops from Eritrean territory, after the early deployment of a "peacekeeping mission deployed by the United Nations under the auspices of the OAU." The mandate of the peacekeeping mission extends until the demarcation of the border between the two countries.

In the Algiers proximity talks, Eritrea, which had earlier redeployed its troops to the positions they held before the outbreak of the conflict and from additional areas on the basis of the appeal of the OAU, had asked that Ethiopia follow suit. But yesterday Eritrea said "in an effort to torpedo the talks, Ethiopia presented preconditions for redeployment, namely the provision by the international community of 'security guarantees.' Although Eritrea rejected the Ethiopian position as preposterous and totally unjustified, it has decided to respond positively to the appeal of the OAU."