Press Release

OAU Framework Agreement Cannot Be Adulterated

There were reports in the international press yesterday referring to the contents of a letter from the OAU Chairman to the Eritrean President.

The Eritrean Government had indeed dispatched a prompt response on the same day, May 11, 1999, to the letter of President Campaore through the same envoys composed of the Foreign Minister of Burkina Faso and members of the OAU Secretariat.

The main contents of the response of Eritrea were:
1. A formal and binding agreement to be signed between the Government of Eritrea and the Government of Ethiopia confirming the acceptance of the OAU Framework Agreement by both parties; and
2. A formal agreement on an unconditional cease-fire be signed and declared so as to create a conducive climate for the implementation of the Framework Agreement.

The letter further noted that Eritrea has not occupied Ethiopian territory.

The Government of Eritrea wishes to underline at this juncture--indeed as it has stressed on several occasions before--any tampering with the OAU Framework Agreement will bear no fruit other than throttling the Agreement itself and bring the OAU initiative to a dead end.

In the event, the Government of Eritrea strongly urges the OAU to work for the implementation of the Framework Agreement and not to open the door for another round of fruitless wrangling.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Asmara, 20 June 1999