UN leader arrives in Ethiopia to discuss peace, attend AU summit

ADDIS ABABA, July 3 (AFP) — UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Saturday arrived in Addis Ababa, where he will hold talks with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi over the stalled peace process with Eritrea as well as attend the African Union (AU) summit.

Annan, who had earlier visited Asmara, was received at the airport by Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfine and AU Commission’s Chairman Alpha Omar Konare.

The UN chief is due to hold talks with Meles on Sunday over the flagging peace process between uneasy Horn of Africa neighbours, Ethiopia and Eritrea, who fought the 1998-2000 war over their common border.

The border row remains unresolved, the frontier itself is still closed to all but UN peacekeepers, and relations between Asmara and Addis Ababa are virtually non-existent.

On Monday, Annan will attend a forum, also in Addis Ababa, to discuss ways of fighting hunger in Africa, the world’s poorest continent.

Shortly before departure on Tuesday, Annan will attend the opening session of the AU summit.