Ethiopia, Eritrea reject UN call to maintain control

Ethiopia and Eritrea both refused on Thursday the call addressed to them by the UN Security Council on Wednesday to end the war between them.

Eritrean presidential advisor Geber Tamiskil said the UN Security Council has to define the side responsible for the eruption of the conflict. He stressed that the Ethiopian side was the one that started hostilities.

On the other side, Ethiopia refused the same call advocated by the UN Security Council. The spokeswoman for the Ethiopian government, Saloumi Tadisi, said it would have been better if this call for "maintaining self-control" would be addressed to Eritrea. She indicated that Ethiopia is practicing its right to "defend itself over its own sovereignty."

The UN Security Council on Wednesday called upon the two sides to observe an immediate cease fire and start talks between Asmara and Addis Ababa. The UN Security Council also called upon all countries not to sell weapons and munitions to the two countries.