EU delegation leaves Eritrea empty-handed -diplomats

By Alexander Last
Reuters; Saturday, Feb 20 1999

ASMARA, Feb 20 (Reuters) - A European Union delegation left the Eritrean capital empty-handed on Saturday after failing to mediate a ceasefire deal between Eritrea and Ethiopia, diplomats said.

Delegation members said the talks had been useful, but diplomats based in Asmara and the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, dismissed the visit and said it had achieved little.

``It was a waste of time and money. It didn't work before. What makes them think it will work this time? It seems more of a political gesture to show that the EU cares,'' a senior Western diplomat in Asmara told Reuters.

The EU delegates held talks with Eritrean President Isayas Afewerki on Saturday after conferring on Friday with Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin.

The Ethiopian government gave the delegation a chilly reception, turning down a request for a meeting with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

The EU mediation effort was based on an Organisation of African Unity (OAU) framework agreement calling for Eritrea to withdraw to territory it held before the border conflict with Ethiopia began on May 6 last year.

Eritrea has repeatedly rejected this clause and instead demanded the withdrawal of both armies from disputed territory and the introduction of a monitoring force into the area.

Delegate Benita Ferrero-Waldner, state secretary for the Austrian Foreign Affairs ministry, defended the mission which she said had come at a crucial time.

``I think it was no waste of time because it was very important to explore and to sound out with the parties where there might be bridges for the future,'' she told a news conference.

Fighting between the two former Horn of Africa allies flared anew on February 6 after an eight-month lull and quickly spread to three fronts before dying down last week.

Numerous efforts led mainly by the OAU and United States to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict have yet to bear fruit.



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