Eritrea, Ethiopia to Sign Peace Agreement in AlgiersEritrea and Ethiopia will sign a comprehensive peace agreement in Algiers, Algeria on December 12, Eritrea's Foreign Ministry said in a press release available Monday, December 4.Eritrean President Issaias Afewerki on Sunday received a formal letter from Algerian President Abdulaziz Bouteflika inviting him to Algiers for the signature of the agreement, the ministry said. The peace agreement provides for the settlement of the conflict through the delimitation and demarcation of the border in accordance with the Organization of African Unity (OAU) principle on sanctity of the inherited colonial boundaries and the provisions of the Framework Agreement. The agreement also provides for the release and repatriation of all prisoners of war and all other persons detained as a result of the armed conflicts. The ministry said the peace agreement is the result of several meetings including a legal and technical meeting and separate consultation meeting, both held in Washington, and proximity talks in Algiers at the level of foreign ministers of both countries. The signing ceremony will be attended by senior officials from the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and the OAU, the ministry said. The border of war between the two Horn of African countries broke out in early May 1998. The two countries signed an agreement on cessation of hostilities in June this year. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |