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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: Libyan leader urged to help break deadlock

ADDIS ABABA, 24 November 2003 (IRIN) - Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has been urged to help break the deadlock in the stalled Ethiopia-Eritrea peace process, diplomats told IRIN on Monday.

The Libyan leader could help overcome the current impasse between the two countries, according to diplomatic sources close to the peace process.

Construction of the Ethiopia-Eritrean border has been put on hold amidst wrangling over the ruling issued by an independent commission set up as part of the peace deal to resolve the crisis.

Ethiopia has been urging dialogue but Eritrea has said it will only engage in talks once delayed demarcation of the 1,000-km frontier has been completed.

According to the sources, Gaddafi enjoys good relations with both Eritrean President Isayas Afewerki and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

Earlier this year he met Meles during a summit held by the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, before flying to Asmara for talks with President Isayas.

And last week Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano, the current chairman the AU, met Gaddafi in Tripoli. Isayas was also present in the Libyan capital.

Also last week, the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC) met representatives of Ethiopia and Eritrea in The Hague for discussions on the impasse.

In a statement, the EEBC said it would release details on the “outcome of the meeting”, held on 19 November, in a report to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. But sources told IRIN there had been “little movement” at the talks.

Officials of the AU and the UN’s peacekeeping mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) have also held talks on the recent withdrawal of Eritrea’s ambassador to the AU.

UNMEE chief Legwaila Joseph Legwaila and AU head Alpha Oumar Konare met President Chissano over the recall of ambassador Salih Omer, said AU sources. As yet the AU has made no official comment on the withdrawal, announced by the Eritrean foreign ministry last Thursday.

Themes: (IRIN) Conflict

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