Isayas calls for regional summit on Sudan

Eritrean President Isayas Afewerki has called for an urgent regional summit to discuss "current problems" in Sudan, according to Eritrean radio. In a letter to Libyan leader Col Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi - who is chairman of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (COMESSA) - Isayas warned that the Sudanese peace process, as well as security and stability in the region, were threatened. Sudan has accused Eritrea of involvement in attacks in eastern Sudan last week by the Asmara-based opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in which Sudanese forces lost control of the religiously significant town of Hamashkoreb in Kassala State. Khartoum has since closed the border with Eritrea. The rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) is a major component of the NDA. Eritrea has strongly denied the claims, accusing Khartoum of "violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Eritrea, and declaring a situation of war". During talks with visiting Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo on Tuesday, Isayas described Sudan's accusations as "irresponsible". "These accusations have always come as a consequence of the Sudanese government trying to bring a military solution to a conflict that could have been solved by non-military means years ago," he told a joint news conference with Obasanjo. He added, however, that Eritrea remained committed to helping broker a peace agreement between the warring sides in Sudan. Stalled peace talks between the Sudanese government and the SPLM/A, brokered by the regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), are due to resume in the Kenyan town of Machakos next week. Meanwhile, the acting head of the African Union, Amara Essy, on Wednesday appealed for calm as tension increased between Eritrea and Sudan. He urged both countries to "exercise maximum restraint" which, he said, was vital for peace in the Horn of Africa.