Sides trade accusations as Algiers talks continue

Ethiopia and Eritrea have accused each other of undermining the peace process aimed at ending their border conflict. In statements issued on Wednesday, as indirect peace talks continue in Algiers, both sides blamed the other for a “lack of seriousness”. The Eritrean foreign ministry said Ethiopia had rejected a ceasefire, as well as refusing to sign the OAU peace plan documents, which “can only mean that, in reality, it has not accepted them”. The Ethiopian government, for its part, said Eritrea was “attempting to kill the peace process” by “expressing pessimism” over the Algiers proximity talks. It accused Eritrea of setting preconditions for talks on “substantive matters”, by insisting on a ceasefire before addressing other issues.