African ministers meet on conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia

African foreign ministers will hold next week in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, a meeting to put the final touches to a report on the border dispute between Eritrea and Ethiopia, Zimbabwe's news agency, reported.

The report, containing the proposals of the Organization of African Unity to settle the conflict which broke out between the two African states last May, was drafted by foreign ministers of Burkina Faso, Djibouti and Zimbabwe.

Three African heads of state, the president of Burkina Faso who is also current chairman of the OAU, the president of Rwanda and the president of Zimbabwe, undertook last June in the region a mission of good offices which failed in view of the "intransigent" attitude of the conflicting sides, according to the source.

However, armed operations have ceased since this mission, from which Zimbabwe withdrew after it was accused by Eritrea of alliance with the USA.

Ziana also reported that Eritrean President Issais Afworki recently said he wanted an exclusively African solution to his country's conflict with Ethiopia.