Ethiopia: There will be no war

2006-05-16 18:37

Addis Ababa - Ethiopia's prime minister said on Tuesday that his country won't start a war with neighbouring Eritrea - but added he won't tolerate aggression from them either.

The two Horn of Africa nations went to war over the border in 1998. They signed a cease-fire and peace agreement in 2000.

But tensions have risen again, to the point where some observers fear fighting could break out.

"We will not start a war at all," Prime Minister Meles Zenawi told his parliament on Tuesday. "If they opt for war though, we will show them it would be a poor choice."

His comments came a day before the Ethiopian-Eritrean boundary commission resumes a London meeting on the border dispute.

Ethiopian tensions have run high since nine bombs exploded across the capital last week. Four people were killed and dozens wounded.

Ethiopian police said the bombings were a co-ordinated attempt to discredit the government.

Police blame bombs on opposition

No group has taken responsibility for the blasts, which focused on government-owned companies and public transportation.

But the bombings could point to growing militant opposition to the government.

Police have blamed other small bombings in recent months on alleged militant elements of the opposition. Agents from Eritrea are also frequently blamed.

Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993, after a 30-year guerrilla war.

The December 2000 peace accord provided for an independent commission to rule on the position of the disputed 994km border, while United Nations peacekeeping troops patrol a 20km buffer zone.

But Ethiopia refused to implement the international commission's 2002 ruling, which awarded the town of Badme to Eritrea.

In response, Eritrea has accused the international community of shirking its responsibility to ensure the ruling is obeyed.

- AP