Eritrean president calls on Ethiopian premier for direct talks

Eritrean President Assyas Afworki has approved convening direct talks with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to settle border disputes and halt the war between their two countries.

In a press conference he held in Cairo on Sunday following his talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Afworki stressed that his country is serious toward settling its disputes with Ethiopia. He called on Zenawi to react positively to the exerted efforts.

Zenawi, on the other hand, will arrive in Cairo today for a two-day visit to meet with President Mubarak.

It is, however, expected that President Mubarak will brief Zenawi on the results of his talks with Afworki and attempt to convince him to hold direct talks and to sit at one negotiation table under the auspices of the Organization of African Unity.

In a statement the Ethiopian government announced on Monday that Ethiopian jets bombarded Eritrean positions on Sunday night at the area under conflict on the eastern front near the border between the two countries.