Premier Meles says "only dialogue" will solve Ethiopia-Eritrea border row
Source: BBC Monitoring Africa
Publication date: 2003-12-16


Text of report by Ethiopian TV on 15 December

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has met and held talks with Ugandan and Mozambican presidents, where he exchanged views with them on regional and global issues. Ashebr Getnet has the details:

[Ashebr] Prime Minister Meles Zenawi first held a meeting with the current IGAD [Inter-Governmental Authority on Development] chairman, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda at the Sheraton Addis [hotel]. The two leaders held lengthy discussions on regional issues, particularly on the efforts to bring about peace in Somalia. The two leaders also discussed ways to upgrade relations between Ethiopia and Uganda.

Similarly, Prime Minister Meles met and held talks with the current AU chairman, President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique, where the two discussed African issues, particularly ways of finding a peaceful solution to the border problem between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

President Chissano told Prime Minister Meles that as AU chairman, he would redouble his efforts to facilitate the peaceful resolution of the problem.

For his part, Prime Minister Meles told President Chissano that it was only through dialogue that a lasting and sustainable solution would be found to solve the border problem between Ethiopia and Eritrea. According to Prime Minister Meles, Ethiopia strongly maintained this position because it believed the problem could only be resolved for good through dialogue.

Publication date: 2003-12-16