Brussels, 16/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - The EU, which has expressed concern about the “escalation of tension” between Eritrea and Ethiopia following an incursion of Ethiopian military into the neighbouring country, calls on both parties to “refrain from violence and adhere to the general principles of international law and recalls the terms of the Algiers Agreement”.
A statement issued during the evening of Thursday 25 March by the spokesman for Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, underlines that: “The European Union calls on Ethiopia and Eritrea to make all efforts to find a negotiated solution to the outstanding issues in their bilateral relations”.
In answer to questions raised by the European press on Friday as to what the European Union will be doing to pacify the two sides, Michael Mann, Ashton's spokesman, said that Alexander Rondos, the EU's recently appointed special representative for the Horn of Africa, is in permanent contact with the governments of both parties and the countries of the region. “The EU is following the situation very closely”, he said. (AN/transl.jl)