afrol News, 17 June - The government of Eritrea is not prepared to hold dialogue with the neighbouring Djibouti to resolve the deadly frontier dispute. Recent clashes between the two countries has left at least nine Djibouti soldiers dead.

In an official statement, the Eritrean President Issaias Afeworki ruled out any dialogue with Djibouti over the issue. During a telephone conversation with President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen, the Eritrean leader said his country would "by no means engage in any diplomatic" activity with Djibouti.

"It has no desire whatsoever to be dragged into the current diplomatic and media tit-for-tat designed to further aggravate the fabricated problem," the statement said.

In a bid to nail the deadly border clashes, President Saleh had also spoken to both Mr Assaias and Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh. He urged the two leaders to solve their problem "through dialogue" and avoid causing further threats to peace and security in the already volatile region.

Djibouti and Eritrea last week renewed their dispute over ownership of Ras Doumeira promontory on the shores of the Red Sea. The two sides clashed over the issue in 1996 and 1999.

While the UN Security Council and the Arab League urged Eritrea to cease aggression against Djibouti, French military confirmed providing support - logistics, medial and intelligency service - to the Djiboutian army.

French Ministry of Defence said its troops have not been involved in the fighting with Eritrean forces, although they have provided aerial surveillance of the border, informing Djiboutian army about the movements of enemy troops.

As conflict rages, French decided to beef up military presence in Djibouti and even plans to establish mobile military bases close to the Eritrean boder so that Eritrean forces would not advance into Djibouti.

The US government also blamed Eritrea for causing a "military agression" in its border with the small Horn of African country. Like Franch, the US also gets large military basis in Djibouti.

Asmara has denied causing military aggression against Djibouti, describing the allegations as "baseless and mendacious statements."

By staff writer

© afrol News

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