Vol. 509 No. 6
44 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the Government's views on the continuing conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea; the initiatives, if any, the Government is taking or supporting through the EU or the UN to secure an end to the conflict; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20871/99]
The Government remains extremely concerned at the failure to resolve the ongoing conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea and at the continued delay in the implementation of the OAU Framework Agreement, approved by the OAU Summit in Algiers in July.
The Government has conveyed its views about the need for an immediate cessation of hostilities under OAU mediation directly to both the Ethiopian and Eritrean authorities, and I again raised our concerns about the situation at meetings in September at the United Nations. With our EU partners, we have urged Ethiopia and Eritrea to end all hostilities, proceed to the signature of a ceasefire agreement, subscribe immediately to the modalities, and fully implement the OAU framework agreement.
We will continue to support all international efforts, notably those of the OAU and UN, to pursue vigorously the peace process and to achieve a comprehensive settlement to this futile conflict, the political and economic costs of which neither country can afford. The current situation is destabilising for both countries and for the wider region of East Africa and is having an unacceptable impact on civilian populations in human rights, humanitarian and social terms.
