Diplomatic efforts intensify to end Horn of Africa war

Craig Nelson

Monday, May 22, 2000 | 9:01 a.m.

ASMARA, Eritrea - With Ethiopian forces digging in across key sections of western Eritrea, diplomatic efforts to end the 10-day fighting and restart peace talks stepped up today.

Reno Serri, the European Community's special envoy to the Horn of Africa, met today with President Isaias Afewerki, who hasn't appeared in public since the fighting flared.

He was to fly to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa later today for talks with officials from the Ethiopian government and the Organization of African Unity.

Serri, an Italian Foreign Ministry undersecretary, told reporters on arriving in Asmara that he was "optimistic" a peaceful solution could be reached to end what he called "the most acute phase" of the two-year war between the two Horn of Africa foes.

On hand to greet Serri was Eritrean Foreign Minister Haile Woldensae, who said his government was ready for talks without preconditions. "We are only waiting for the OAU to tell us the time," he said.

Meanwhile, Algerian Justice Minister Ahmed Ouyahia was traveling to Addis Ababa, also to confer with Ethiopian leaders. Ouyahia is the personal representative of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the current OAU chairman.

Ethiopia invaded Eritrea on May 12, rekindling a bitter border conflict that has cost the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians from both sides since it erupted in May 1998.

International defense experts say Eritrea and Ethiopia, two of the world's poorest countries, each have been pouring up to $1 million a day into arms and troops.

At least 550,000 Eritreans have been uprooted by the latest fighting, which has seen Ethiopian forces drive far beyond disputed territory along their 620-mile frontier. Woldensae told Serri there had been "very limited fighting" Sunday on the western Bure front.

The two sides broke off indirect talks in Algiers on May 4 after Ethiopia accused Eritrea of setting preconditions. Ethiopia said Eritrea had demanded the two sides sign a three-part, OAU-drafted peace accord and approve a cease-fire as a prerequisite for any substantive discussions. Ethiopia rejected the demands.

Ethiopia invaded Eritrea eight days later, despite efforts by a U.N. Security Council delegation led by U.S. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke to avert fresh fighting.

Justifying his optimism that talks might reconvene soon, Serri said he had been in "almost daily contact" with U.S. envoy Anthony Lake and Susan Rice, assistant U.S. secretary of State for African affairs.

As peace moves intensified, thousands of demonstrators - mostly women, children and students - marched through the streets of the Eritrean capital this morning to protest the Ethiopian invasion and what they said was U.N. inaction.

The demonstrations were a warm-up for celebrations Wednesday marking the seventh anniversary of Eritrea's independence from Ethiopia following a 30-year guerrilla war.