July 22, 1999
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - The Ethiopian cabinet and the ruling party have fully endorsed the decisions of the recent OAU summit in Algiers for a peaceful solution to the 15-month border conflict with Eritrea, state-owned media organs reported Thursday.
The Ethiopian Herald quoted a statement issued Wednesday by the council of ministers, which said, however, that it considered Eritrea's acceptance as ''insincere, for trying to chip in various preconditions.'' The cabinet said Ethiopia would continue with its efforts to peacefully resolve the conflict, provided Eritrean also ''fully accepts and implements'' the OAU Framework Agreement and the modalities for implementing them. ''But if Eritrea doggedly sticks to its belligerency, Ethiopia would use every available means to ensure respect of its sovereignty and territorial integrity,'' the cabinet said.
Meanwhile, the executive committee of the coalition of the ruling Ethiopian Peoples' Democratic Front party also issued a statement Wednesday, saying the OAU summit decisions were in conformity with the consistent Ethiopian position since the outbreak of the conflict in May 1998. ''If the Eritrean regime persists to continue with the war by rejecting the peace proposals, the Ethiopian government and people would have no choice but to remain vigilant to defend their sovereignty and territorial integrity,'' it said.
Ethiopia and Eritrea have been fighting over a border stretch of land since 6 May, 1998. Eritrean forces said they only re-took land which was being illegally occupied by Ethiopia. The OAU framework calls on the two countries to pull out of the disputed area to areas before the conflict broke out.
