Djibouti, Ethiopia Optimistic About Settlement of Port Due DisputesGovernment ministers of Djibouti and Ethiopia Wednesday expressed optimistic on ironing out disputes over the increment of tariff by the Port of Djibouti.Upon his arrival at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, Djibouti's Foreign Minister Ali Abdi Farah said that Djibouti and Ethiopia have made headway toward the settlement of disputes over port dues. The dialog so far conducted between foreign ministers of the two countries has registered significant progress, he said, adding that bilateral talks will continue Thursday to reach a final agreement over the issue. Ethiopian Minister of Transport and Communications Mohammoud Drir said that the Dubai International Port Agency, which is currently administering the Port of Djibouti, has made a tariff increment without consulting concerned parties. Authorities of the Port of Djibouti announced last December that it would charge 30 percent of port dues on the original basis, which will be effective as of January 15, 2001. The tariff rise on the port would force Ethiopia to pay an extra 170 million U.S. dollars annually, according to Mohammoud. The Port of Djibouti has been a major gateway for import and export of land-locked Ethiopia, Mohammoud said, noting that the sudden tariff increment on the port created disappointment among the Ethiopian government and business community. However, the minister expressed the belief that the problem would surely be resolved through the ongoing dialog between the two countries. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |