Sudanese-Ethiopian committee to meet Tuesday

Dec 8, 2005 (KHARTOUM) — The joint Sudanese-Ethiopian ministerial committee will be held next Tuesday in Khartoum, the state-run SUNA said.

The meeting will be co-chaired by the Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lam Akol Ajawin and his Ethiopian counterpart Seyoum Mesfin.

The meeting comes a week after the normalization with Eritrea. Sudanese government seems trying to keep an equal treatment for the two warring countries.

The Ethiopian Ambassador in Khartoum, Kadafo Mohamed Hanfare, said that the joint committee would discuss political issues of common concern as well as implementation of the agreements signed between the two countries.

He added that the joint commissions of experts and borders would begin on Saturday.

Ambassador Hanfare explained that the joint ministerial committee comes at a time the bilateral relations witness more development at all the domains.

He referred to the common understanding of the Sudanese and Ethiopian leaderships on the unification of the African continent and resolution of regional and international problems.

The former rebel SPLM and all political forces members of the former opposition NDA had made from the normalization with Eritrea an implicit condition for peace and reconciliation agreements signed with Khartoum.

In this regard, while Eritrea opened its borders for Sudanese opposition factions, Ethiopia — after the 1998-2000 war against Eritrea — became a solid ally to the Islamist regime in Khartoum ordering NDA forces to leave its territory.

Now as the former opposition factions are part of the national unity government, they will try to privilege Eritrea while the National Congress will try to maintain good relations with Ethiopian government.

(ST)