Ethiopia, Sudan back calls to include Eritrea in regional forum
KHARTOUM, Dec 27, 2004 (Sudanese radio) — Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir have backed calls by Yemeni President Ali Abdallah Salih to invite Eritrea to join the Sanaa Forum for Cooperation, a regional grouping that brings together Sudan, Yemen and Ethiopia, but made it conditional on the resolution of the differences these two states have with Eritrea.
Speaking at a news conference in Khartoum, broadcast live by Sudanese TV, Meles said the forum was “incomplete” without Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia.
“We welcome the initiative taken by President Ali Abdallah Salih. We share with the president of Yemen the view that this forum is incomplete unless the other members of the family join it. We share with the president that the other members of the family – Eritrea, Djibouti and so on – should join us, as soon as possible.
“And I believe in order for them to do so, we have to resolve our problems – our security and other problems with each other, through dialogue and brotherhood and friendship. And we believe that President Ali Abdallah Salih’s call for dialogue is a timely and very constructive proposal. That is why both Ethiopia and Sudan have accepted his new initiative,” Meles said
Al-Bashir struck a similar note and said regional cooperation was only possible if the current tension in relations between the states in the region was resolved.
“For cooperation to become a reality, there is need for an infrastructure, that is to say, security and stability. This means the removal of all the phenomenon of tension between the states in the region, whether this tension is political, of security or military nature. If the phenomenon of tension is removed, the way is clear for the possibility of constructive cooperation, in the interest of the people and nations of this region.”
The Sanaa Forum states began talks on Monday (27 December) in Khartoum to discuss the situation in the region and ways of enhancing cooperation. It was also attended by the new Somali president, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmad.
Material from the BBC Monitoring Service, original text in Arabic.