Eritrea claims a lull in ground war

“Serious fighting ended on Monday,” a spokeswoman for the Eritrean US embassy told IRIN today. Another Eritrean spokesman told journalists in Asmara the Ethiopian offensive had “run out of steam”. However, an Ethiopian spokeswoman this morning told AFP that fighting continued. Egypt, Yemen, Japan and the USA are among many countries appealing for a ceasefire in the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea which flared up on Saturday. The UN Security Council was expected to pass a new resolution later on Wednesday, UN sources said. Two diplomatic sources told IRIN that dual threats of terrorism and possible conflict-related insecurity would lead to a US announcement later today on the withdrawal of non-emergency diplomatic staff and dependents from Ethiopia.