Ethiopian PM says ready for talks with Eritrea

KHARTOUM, Dec 27, 2004 (Xinhua) — Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawe confirmed here Monday his country “is ready to hold political talks with Eritrea to end differences in their relations.”

During the inaugural session of the Sanaa cooperation forum held in Khartoum, Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Othman Ismail told reporters Zenawe briefed the summit on an Ethiopian initiative for solving the conflict with Eritrea.

“The Ethiopian prime minister affirmed that his government’s initiative has been accepted regionally and internationally, noting that Ethiopia has decided to handle its problems through dialogue rather than fighting,” said Ismail.

He pointed out the summit has welcomed the initiative, describing it as a very important step for handling the Ethiopian- Eritrean problem according to the International Court of Justice’s resolution concerning dividing of the Ethiopian-Eritrean borders.

The first summit of the forum was held in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa in October 2002, and the second in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in December 2003.