DATE=9/6/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=ERITREA/ETHIOPIA (L-O)
NUMBER=2-253510
BYLINE=JENNIFER WIENS
DATELINE=NAIROBI
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: A peace plan designed to end the conflict
between Ethiopia and Eritrea is on hold after Ethiopia
rejected some of the terms Saturday. As Jennifer
Wiens reports from our East Africa Bureau, Eritrea
calls Ethiopia's rejection the equivalent to a
declaration of war.
TEXT: Eritrea's foreign ministry issued a statement
(Monday) condemning Ethiopia for rejecting the
implementation terms of the plan to end their border
war.
Ethiopia said Saturday it wanted clarification of
recently-added technical details and it was not
satisfied with parts of the plan concerning the return
of disputed territory. But Eritrea says Ethiopia's
bid for clarification is an outright rejection of the
entire peace plan and is the equivalent of a war
declaration.
The two countries have been fighting over contested
areas along their shared border for the past 16-
months. Hundreds of soldiers on both sides have been
killed and each has accused the other of trying to
spread the conflict to other African countries --
notably Sudan and Somalia.
The Organization of African Unity spent months drawing
up the plan which calls for a cease-fire, the return
of territory captured by either side since the war
began, and for international observers to come in
while the border lines are being redrawn.
Eritrea and Ethiopia initially accepted the plan after
an O-A-U summit in July. But skirmishes between the
two countries have continued as details on the pullout
are worked out.
Ethiopia says it will not sign off on the plan unless
it is guaranteed the return of borderland taken by
Eritrean troops since the conflict began. After
rejecting the plan's details, Ethiopia said it would
try to continue negotiations with the O-A-U.
But Eritrea says Ethiopia is stalling. It calls for
the international community to make Ethiopia honor the
current O-A-U peace plan. (SIGNED)
NEB/JW/PCF/RAE
06-Sep-1999 10:07 AM LOC (06-Sep-1999 1407 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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