By Barry Malone
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said he is willing to meet Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki despite more than 10 years of bitter words and a bloody border war.
Eritrea last month accused Ethiopia of blocking its participation in African Union (AU) summits in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa — seat of the 53-nation body.
Responding to questions, Meles denied the claims and said Isaias was welcome in Ethiopia.
“If the Eritrean government is eager to send any person, whether the president himself or any person, and participate in meetings they will be treated exactly like any other delegation,” Meles told reporters late on Thursday.
Meles said it was Addis Ababa’s obligation as AU headquarters.
The 1998-2000 war between two of the world’s poorest countries killed at least 70,000 people. An independent border commission in 2002 awarded the flashpoint town of Badme to Eritrea but Ethiopia still occupies the territory.
“I am prepared to talk to anybody on matters that help peace in the neighbourhood,” Meles said. “So as I have made it very clear on many occasions we are ready to talk to them at any level, at any time, any place.”
Meles did not say whether he was willing to discuss the border issue. ”I have no obligation to meet him at the airport,” Meles added.
In December, the U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions on Eritrea, accusing it of backing rebel groups in Somalia, where at least 21,000 people have been killed in violence since the beginning of 2007.
The sanctions, adopted in December and backed by 13 of the 15 members of the U.N. Security Council, include an arms embargo, travel restrictions and asset freezes for some of the country’s top officials.
Asmara says the Security Council is a proxy for the United States and says the multi-state body continues to ignore the fact that their territory is being occupied by Ethiopia, Washington’s strongest ally in the Horn of Africa.
(Editing by Giles Elgood)
Copyright © 2010 Reuters
March 19, 2010 at 12:01 pm
What a snake!
March 19, 2010 at 12:53 pm
The bloody snake makes a smart move!! We’ll see what his intentions are - this is not stupid.
March 20, 2010 at 1:44 am
Here we go again, another betrayal by the prime minister against Eritreans.
Mr prime minister,
We don’t have to remind you the suffering and misery that our people have been through for the last 20 years by the very dictator that you seem to extend an olive branch to. The evil regime has been committing unthinkable and unpredictable atrocities against the people that adored and respected him most.The madness and atrocities of the crule regime couldn’t stop in Eritrea but have gone beyond its borders as far as Somalia and Yemen exposing the people of the region to untold suffering.The crazy adventure of the regime is rewarded by a sanction which is a welcome move.
Our people are determined to end tyranny and dictatorship for once and for all and the struggle is getting momentum on all fronts.
Its all clear to every Eritrean that the regime has been using the border issues to justify its iron fist rule and its atrocities. The border is not as an important as the rule of law, justice and human rights issues. Once these important issues are in place, then the border can be settled in a civilized and amicable manner.There was no need to go to war for a minor border issue that apparently resulted in the death of over 100,000 people and destruction of incalculable amount of properties on both sides.
The border issues should only be resolved when a responsible and democratic Eritrean government is in place. This regime which is the main culprit and source of all the miseries of our people and the people beyond does not have the legitimacy to negotiate and stike a deal on our behalf. It represents nobody except a bunch of blood sucking dictators that offers nothing but a vision of misery and horror.
Mr prime minister, you should side with the suffering people of Eritrea in the fight against tyranny and evil this time as the noose is getting tighter around the neck of the evil.Every Eritrean is optimistic you do after all blood is thicker than water.
If not ”YOU WILL BE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF OUR HISTORY”
Ezi wedhankum,
March 21, 2010 at 12:00 am
Unbelievable!!
Fithawi read back what u wrote.. Are u begging and praising the SNAKE who has blood on his hands from our brave soldiers who passed away? Are u trying to say that this all is the fault of The GOE? I’ll better stop responding to your useless comments. If i have to judge you by ur comments then it’s very obvious that u’re an Ethiopian or a coward who has never done anything for Eritrea.
I feel sorry for you..
May god bless you of all ur evilness
March 23, 2010 at 2:06 am
Eritrawi,
Using Eritrawi as a pen name does not make you more Eritrawi than the others.Infact, your decision to stand on the side of a dictator that offers nothing but a bancrupt vision of horror and misery will make you less Eritrawi.
How in the world someone like you who supports a regime or a dictator, who-
-ordered the massacare of our disabled veterans in MaiHabar in 1994,
(these veterans paid a heavy price to realize our independence were shot and killed in a cold blood for demanding a kitchen table issues)
-imprisons people indefinately without the due process of the law,
-keeps our youth in a fox hole for over 10 years now when there is no enemy insight,
-using the border issues to unleash all kind of atrocities against our poor people,
-rules the nation with no functional parliament, no private media and no rule of law,
calls himself Eritrawi when you support a regime that commites all these crimes in one way or the other. Infact it makes you less Eritrean.
Eritrawi,let me make this clear to you again. PM Meles is not an enemy of Eritrea, the enemy is well within.
Democracy and freedom are our rights.If we need to struggle for it,we will.If we need to find allies who can help us gain our freedom, we will form an allaince. PM Meles is our best bet.PM has been the supporter of independent Eritrea and always will.
But we will not form an alliance with groups like Kinijit and reminants of the Dergue who openly claim Assab like your dictator.
Ezi wedhanka,
December 6, 2010 at 5:19 pm
fithawi ata kemey
i do not have mistake who you are by your comment even if we eritreans have our difference we did not ask any help from out side that your comment are not just begging but warshiping meles that we eritreans never did
as you see now and as you always know we the Eritreans will reise to the top and we will crush you with meles on the ground with our foot.
we fight hard to make it more harder we trust our people more befor
December 7, 2010 at 10:43 am
meles ata komal aloka do.
hi gauys how are you in like meles the true face of Ethiopia.his face discribe how is living in Tigray specially.
he looks like growing with feming (atsebo)tigray adey adi jeganu kemey eniaeki bsruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.
when i like meles i always loughing his face is so funny always my girlfriend tells me he is looks like rat what happen to him.
December 7, 2010 at 10:47 am
fithawi ata komal
may by you are in love with tse beauty face of meles komal.
you tigrians are cam to eritrea having funn with as after time come behind our back that is a true tigrayn heart