Ethiopia concerned by US silence on peace plan with Eritrea: report

By Ethiopian newspaper The Reporter

ADDIS ABABA, Dec 19, 2004 — Sources say the Ethiopian government is concerned by the US government’s failure to comment on the peace proposal put forward by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on 16 Hidar 1997 (November 25, 2004), to resolve the border impasse with Eritrea.

Concerned by the US silence, an Ethiopian delegation has travelled to the USA to explain about the issue and solicit support. The delegation headed by Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin is accompanied by British experts who sympathize with Ethiopia’s position, with diplomatic experience gained from the British Foreign Office. However, the US government has not yet changed its position and put pressure on the Eritrean government to accept the proposal.

While Europeans expressed their support for the proposal right after the prime minister forwarded it, the Americans are yet to comment three weeks after its announcement. Apart from urging the two countries to resolve the problem in a peaceful manner, the UN, too, is yet to declare its position and take any move.

In an interview he gave to Radio Fana on 30 Hidar 1997 (December 9, 2004) about the US silence on the peace proposal, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Tekeda Alemu said though several countries, the African Union and the EU supported the proposal, the fact that the US government had not commented on the issue was worrying and could create a complex situation. According to Dr Tekeda, though many countries supported the proposal, given the America’s power, Ethiopia is expected to conduct diplomatic campaigns to solicit US support.

Material from the BBC Monitoring Service, original text in Amharic.