Ethiopia and Eritrea to discuss peace deal

In the first sign for months of peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea, diplomats are due tomorrow to discuss ending their two-year border dispute.

In the first sign for months of peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea, diplomats are due tomorrow to discuss ending their two-year border dispute.

They are to hold "proximity talks'', in which delegates sit in separate rooms, in Algiers. The war, over a colonial map outline, may have claimed 10,000 lives.

Both countries are seeking help to end a food emergency. Ethiopia especially has come under fire for diverting resources to the war while lives are lost to drought elsewhere in the country. The Organisation of African Unity has drawn up a framework deal but progress to full talks has been slowed by questions about fine print and definitions of occupied territory.

Eritrea, Africa's youngest country, gained independence from Ethiopia in the early 1990s after a 30-year war. But their border was never properly defined, leading to the outbreak of fighting in May 1998.