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Ethiopian and Eritrean delegates were expected to meet in Algeria this week in a bid to finalise technical details of the OAU proposal to end the war between them, the Organisation of African Unity said on Monday.
Experts from the OAU, the UN and US have been meeting in Algiers to work out practical details for implementing the Framework Agreement which would then be discussed by the delegations from Ethiopia and Eritrea, news agencies quoted OAU spokesman Ibrahim Dagash as saying. "We are hoping for a speedy finalisation," Dagash added, though the exact date for the delegates' meeting is unknown. The apparent progress comes after intensive shuttle diplomacy by OAU envoy, Ahmed Ouyahia, and US special envoy, Anthony Lake, in the last week.
Eritrean absence stymies Church mediation effort
An attempt by the Orthodox church leadership in Ethiopia and Eritrea to mediate an end to the war has failed because the Eritrean delegation failed to turn up in the eastern French town of Ferney-Voltaire between 29 July and 1 August. Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Abuna Paulos, said the Eritreans had not given a specific reason for not attending, and that their absence was "unfortunate", AFP news agency reported on Wednesday.
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