ETHIOPIA said it was ready to end its war with Eritrea ”today” but that it would keep troops on Eritrean soil until it received guarantees over redeployment. ”As far as Ethiopia is concerned, the war is over today,” Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi told a meeting with diplomats in the Ethiopian capital. ”Our troops will remain at the Zala Anbesa front (a disputed area about 120km). Our army is prepared to be redeployed. Until an agreement to redeploy has been signed, our troops will remain at their positions for military purposes either inside or outside Eritrea,” Meles said. ”The conflict has to be resolved through negotiations and dialogue. What we now face is difficult negotiations,” he said. The prime minister said, however, that Ethiopia believed it had recovered all territories previously occupied by Eritrea. Meles was speaking as indirect peace talks brokered by the Organisation of African Unity entered a second day in the Algerian captial.