Ethiopian PM, French FM discuss row with Eritrea
PARIS, Apr 15, 2005 (ENA) — The Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi earlier on Friday 15 April held talks with the foreign affairs minister, Michel Barnier, on bilateral, regional and international issues of common interest.
The talks between Meles and Barnier centred on Ethiopia-Eritrea boundary issues and the problem in the Darfur.
Meles told Barnier that the five-point peace proposal Ethiopia has put forward to resolve the dispute between the two countries has not received positive response from the Eritrean government.
The peace proposal has received welcome from a number of countries and international organizations, including the AU and EU.
Meles and Barnier also exchanged views on ways of implementing the recent comprehensive peace agreement reached between the Sudanese government and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A).
The French cooperation minister says his government has been providing more than 35m euros in development assistance to Ethiopia annually. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has held talks with the French foreign minister.
The French Minister-Delegate in charge of cooperation and Francophone affairs, Xavier Darcos, told Meles, who is on an official visit to France, later on Thursday 14 April that the French government would continue supporting Ethiopia’s priority areas of development.
Darcos said the cooperation between Ethiopia and France in the areas, among others, of water resources, urban development, education and culture has been gathering momentum. Calling for enhancement of Ethiopia-France cooperation in the areas of cultural cooperation, Darcos said the Ethiopian cultural troupe who staged various Ethiopian traditional shows during a recent visit to Lyon has won great acclamation.
During the talks, Prime Minister Meles told Darcos that the cooperation between Ethiopia and France has been growing both in the bilateral and multilateral stages.
Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, on Thursday 14 April, also met and held talks with African resident ambassadors in France. Meles told the resident ambassadors that the Tony Blair’s Africa Commission report recently launched in London and in Addis Ababa same day stipulates ideas and directions, whose implementation can solve the multi-pronged problems facing the continent.