Ethiopia, Eritrea 'must talk'

2006-06-30 20:20

Addis Ababa - The leader of the Ethiopian Orthodox church, recently elected as the head of the World Council of Churches (WCC), has appealed to Ethiopians and Eritreans to push for lasting peace between them.

"As president of the World Council of Churches, I call upon the people of faith in Ethiopian and Eritrea to work with the political leaders to accelerate the coming of lasting peace," said patriarch Abune Paulos on Friday.

Analysts said Ethiopia and Eritrea were likely to take his calls seriously because many people in both countries follow the Orthodox church.

Previous church efforts to resolve the conflict have stuttered, but Abune Paulos said he would use his new role as a world church leader to inject fresh vigour into pushing for dialogue between the two countries.

Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a border war that cost 70 000 lives in 1999 and 2000. Efforts to find a lasting peaceful solution have not been successful.

Ready to take a greater role in peace

Patriarch Paulos also urged the people of Somalia to resolve their differences through dialogue rather than conflict: "There is no single problem that has been resolved in the world other than through peaceful dialogue and the exchange of ideas."

Patriarch Paulos said he was ready to take a greater role in resolving conflicts all over the world and urged African leaders to work towards good governance and poverty alleviation.

"Unless economic justice and good governance prevail, and there is an end to the unequal distribution of wealth ... it would be difficult to speak of peace for our continent," he said.

Paulos rejected the use of condoms to fight HIV/Aids, saying it would not be permitted under the ethics of the 3 000 year-old Orthodox church.

"The first rule of our church is that people should remain virgins until they reach the age of adolescence," he said. "After that they should get married and remain faithful and loyal to each other until death. There is no other way."

- Reuters