Yemen says regional group must expand for sake of peace

KHARTOUM, Dec 27 (AFP) — The president of Yemen on Monday called on Djibouti, Eritrea and Somalia to join the Sanaa Grouping of Red Sea and Horn of Africa nations to promote reconciliation and peace in the region.

The call by President Ali Abdullah Saleh was immediately welcomed by Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, whose country fought a bitter two-and-a-half-year border war with Eritrea that ended in a precarious ceasefire.

The two-year-old Saana Grouping, named after the Yemeni capital, comprises Ethiopia, Sudan and Yemen and is aimed at enhancing security, political and economic cooperation in the volatile region.

“I hereby call for admitting Somalia, Djibouti and Eritrea into our Sanaa Group as this will be of benefit to all of us and will realize security and stability to our peoples,” Saleh said at the opening session of a Sanaa Grouping summit in Khartoum.

Admitting the three states into the group “will remove the causes of misunderstanding and dispel doubts between the neighbours,” he added, referring to Asmara’s strained ties with both Ethiopia and Sudan.

The group later agreed a request by Somalia for admission with immediate effect.

Ethiopia’s Meles said his country was ready to normalize ties with all neighbouring states, commenting that dialogue must always come after any conflict.

Tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea remain acute. Last September, Ethiopia rejected a demarcation proposal made by an independent border commission, leading to warnings by the Eritrean government that this would lead to war “sooner or later” with Ethiopia.

Saleh announced later he would embark on an initiative of normalising Eritrea’s relations with both Ethiopia and Sudan after the leaders of all three countries accepted the offer.

The Egyptian agency Mena also reported from Cairo that Ethiopia had asked Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to mediate in its dispute with Eritrea.

Meanwhile, the Yemeni leader also suggested that an African Union or UN peacekeeping force should be deployed to restore of peace and stability in war-torn Somalia.

“We call for sending African Union or UN troops to Mogadishu for restoration of peace and stability in Somalia,” said Saleh.

At the end of the summit, the leaders pledged “sincere” commitment to attaining durable peace, security and sustainable development in the Horn of Africa and Southern Red Sea regions.