Ethiopia PM, US official dicuss bilateral ties, border row

Nov 29, 2005 (ADDIS ABABA) — Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on Tuesday held talks with US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Donald Yamamoto, the state-run ENA reported.

Prime Minister Meles and Yamamoto conferred on issues concerning the international fight against terrorism as well as on ways of strengthening bilateral cooperation, a senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who attended the meeting said.

The two sides exchanged views on the situation in Somalia, in particular, and the region in general.

On 29 May, 2005 Ethiopia signed a deal with Somaliland. Somaliland is the separatist statelet in the northern corner of Somalia and is centered on the port of Berbera. Ethiopia is looking for an alternative route to the sea — an alternative to Eritrea.

Meles and Yamamoto also dwelt on the prevailing condition in Ethiopia and the support to be made to help foster democratization process.

Earlier in November the U.S. pressed Ethiopia to end its crackdown on independent media and to release opposition leaders detained during a week of bloody clashes between demonstrators and police, according to a statement. The U.S. also urged opposition leaders to discourage violence.

They also discussed the current state of affairs between Ethiopia and Eritrea, particularly the resolution the UN Security Council passed recently concerning the two countries.

The UN Security Council on Wednesday 23 November passed a resolution that urges Ethiopia accept a 2000 border agreement, but does not threaten any penalties if the country continues to ignore that appeal.

As for the Ethiopia-Eritrea situation, US administration fears that Ethiopia and Eritrea could miscalculate in their current border confrontation and resume fighting. The US wants to deny Al Qaeda bases in the Horn of Africa region. An Ethiopia-Eritrea war would destabilize the area and frustrate US counter-terror efforts. So keeping the peace here is a crucial effort in the war on terror, Analysts say.

(ST/ENA)