Vol. 500 No. 5
42 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the Government's views on the continuing military conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea; if he will support international efforts to secure a halt to the fighting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4362/99]
The Government and our European partners have, in our Declaration of 11 February, registered our dismay and utmost disappointment at the recent outbreak of open war between Ethiopia and Eritrea. This has happened despite intensive efforts by the Organisation of African Unity to mediate a peaceful settlement with strong support from the EU and other members of the international community. The current escalation into full-scale war is a futile effort to resolve political issues by military means and is already having an unacceptable impact on innocent civilians. Neither country can afford to bear the cost in humanitarian, economic or political terms.
The immediate priority is to halt the conflict. As a first step, the EU has called upon both sides to agree unilaterally to a cessation of hostilities and for all States to end immediately the sale of arms and munitions to the two countries involved. We consider it imperative that further loss of human life and material destruction be prevented and that the safety of the civilian population be assured. The way to a negotiated settlement must be reopened.
