Allegations of mistreatment denied

The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dismissed accusations by the Eritrean government that Ethiopian security personnel had held up an Eritrean diplomat at gunpoint. In a letter to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and all diplomatic missions accredited to Ethiopia, the government said the accusation was unfounded and had no factual basis. Ethiopia strictly adhered to the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations, and the accusations were a “propaganda ploy”, the pro-Ethiopian government Walta Information Centre on 6 April quoted the foreign ministry as saying. In the letter, the Ethiopian government accused the Eritrean government of “repeated breach[es] of norms and practices of diplomatic law” against the Ethiopian Embassy in the Eritrean capital, Asmara. Reports from the embassy in Asmara stated that Eritrean security personnel had cordoned off the embassy premises and prevented access to visitors, the letter said. It said the Ethiopian charge d’affaires had suffered “cruel treatment and harassment” at the hands of Eritrean security personnel.