In 1998 Meles said, “We are not going to invade any country." Nor would Ethiopia put at risk the independence of Eritrea or its people”. Two years later, Meles kept his words and prematurely stopped the Ethiopian army at Adi Keyhi from dismantling the Shaebia regime and retaking Assab. Now, Meles is ready to complete his life-long dream by demarcating the Eritrea border once and for all. 

 

PM Meles Zenawi Interviewed by AFP

ADDIS ABABA, June 9 (AFP) - Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on Tuesday threatened a wider war with neighbouring Eritrea should no peaceful solution to their border conflict be found.

In an interview with AFP, Zenawi said Ethiopia would launch an offensive against its smaller neighbour "if that is what it takes." "We will have to take all the necessary measures to make sure that the (Eritrean) invasion is reversed, and reversed comprehensively," said Meles, who as prime minister is commander-in-chief of his country's armed forces.

The conflict took a turn for the worse early Tuesday with fresh fighting flaring around the northern Ethiopian border town of Zala Anbasa, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) southeast of the Eritrean capital Asmara.

Both sides have claimed to be in control of the town since Eritrea attacked it last week. Both accused the other of launching an attack. Both claimed to have successfully repulsed it.

Ethiopia made a further claim late Tuesday to have repulsed a fourth attack on the town, saying it had inflicted heavy losses on Eritrean troops, and taken many prisoner. It said Ethiopian troops had also suffered losses, but did not quantify them.

Asmara-based journalists trying to establish the extent of the fighting were blocked from going to the town by Eritrean soldiers, who cited security reasons.

Asked in the interview whether Ethiopia might launch an offensive, Meles replied: "Yes, if that is what it takes."

Zenawi said Ethiopia had reinforced its troop strength in several key areas along the 1,000 kilometre (600-mile) border.

But he added: "We are not going to invade any country." Nor would Ethiopia put at risk the independence of Eritrea or its people, he added.

Eritrea, a former province of Ethiopia, gained independence peacefully in 1993.

Zenawi was pessimistic over a speedy peaceful resolution to the conflict. "We have to hope," he said, despite the "irrational" behaviour of Eritrea's leadership, that Eritrea will accept the recommendations of the joint Rwanda-US peace proposals.

Ethiopia accepted the four-point plan put forward by the belligerents' mutual allies, while Eritrea has so far balked at the plan's demand that it pull its forces back to their positions prior to May 6. "We have done everything that we can do for a peaceful solution," Zenawi told AFP. "They are the engineers of the crisis and ultimately they have to be the engineers of the solution," he said.

His opposite number, Eritrean President Issaias Afeworki appeared to acknowledge in a BBC interview that there was substantial common ground with Ethiopia's position. "We need to agree on the demarcation of the borderline, which is a very simple thing, which could be done by any technical team or body. "We believe that for that to happen we need to demilitarize the area, which could also be done with the involvement of observers," he said.

On the Rwandan-US peace plan, he said: "We had agreed that this would be done quietly without going public until we prepared the ground. Unfortunately the team went public prematurely without even having our consent." "People would tell you that the devil lies in the detail," said Afeworki.

Meanwhile, Germany closed its embassy in Asmara, which was described as calm Tuesday. Its four diplomats, including Ambassador Wolfgange Ringe, were to be flown out in the evening aboard an American-chartered plane along with remaining US diplomats. Most foreigers in the Eritrean capital were evacuated in the past few days, though many long-term foreign residents had chosen to stay behind.