OAU presses case for peace

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the current chairman of the OAU, arrived in Addis Ababa on Wednesday for talks with Prime Minister Meles, the OAU’s acting director of political affairs, Sam Ibok, told IRIN. He said it was not yet clear when the two men would meet, nor were there any details of what proposals Bouteflika was bringing. Ibok said he expected the OAU chairman would also be travelling to Eritrea. Bouteflika’s trip follows peace missions by OAU special envoy Ahmed Ouyahia and his EU counterpart Rino Serri, both of whom have been shuttling between the Eritrean and Ethiopian capital. The two envoys called on Tuesday for both sides to withdraw to positions held before the border war broke out in 1998, AFP reported. Serri, who later left Asmara for Italy, said it was still possible for the two sides to work together for a rapid end to the conflict.