Ethiopia expresses concern over US silence on peace initiative
28/12/2004 17:16
The Ethiopian government has expressed its concern over the United States
silence on the newly introduce peace proposal aimed at ending the border row
with Eritrea. Local officials who asked not to be named said that the
government is still waiting a response from the US government on the peace
proposal. The Ethiopian government has sent a delegation to the United States
in mid-December to brief their officials about the proposal. However, the US
government is still keeping silent either to welcome or suggest any comments on
the peace proposal, which the government introduced a month ago to end its
difference with neighboring Eritrea. They said that the Ethiopian government
does not have any information why the US government is still continue not to
welcome the peace proposal. "It is difficult to say that the United States
has rejected the peace proposal. The government will continue to wait what the
US response would be on this issue," they said. It was to be recalled that
the African Union, the European Union, the United Nations Security Council and
other countries and partners welcomed the peace proposal after Ethiopian Prime
Minister Meles Zenawi presented the peace proposal on November 25. The newly
introduced peace proposal demanded Eritrea to sit for dialogue for the keenly
awaited border demarcation process at the border areas of the two
countries. But Eritrea still rejected any dialogue with Eritrea, and the five
point peace proposal. Observers said the US silence on the peace proposal
helped Eritrea to continue rejecting the peace offer and dialogue.
Xinhua
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