German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder began an African tour on Monday with a pledge of more aid for Ethiopia and an announcement of funds to set up an African peacekeeping training centre in Ghana.
”In your endeavour to build a democratic society, Germany is willing to support you in every aspect … in training manpower, in technical assistance and in building a free press, which is an integral part of democracy,” Schroeder told reporters before he had talks with Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in Addis Ababa.
In an address to African diplomats at the headquarters of the African Union here, Schroeder also pledged that Germany will help Africa succeed in its regional cooperation initiatives, peace and economic development.
”Germany is providing funds and technical support for the establishment of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Accra.
”Germany will also train soldiers and civilian personnel all over West Africa for deployment in peace missions,” said Schroeder, who spoke through an interpreter.
He announced that Germany will give the African Union â,¬650-million to fund its peacekeeping missions in Africa and improve its communications network.
He said Berlin will also support the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad), an African initiative that aims to develop the continent through a massive injection of investment, and which places heavy emphasis on good governance and democracy.
”Germany and indeed Europe wants to be an honest partner of the people of Africa as they embark upon this new journey [Nepad],” said Schroeder.
Meles assured the German leader that Addis Ababa will ”continue building a democratic society”.
Schroeder expressed optimism that the border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea will be resolved amicably.
”We do appreciate Ethiopia’s peace missions in the region like in Burundi and we have the trust of the Ethiopian government that they will bring the dispute between them and Eritrea to a peaceful conclusion,” said Schroeder at a joint news conference with Meles after their talks.
A 1 000-soldier Ethiopian contingent is serving in the AU’s peacekeeping mission in Burundi.
A border conflict between 1998 and 2000 pitted the two Horn of Africa nations against one another, leaving at least 80 000 people dead.
The conflict was brought to an end with the signing on December 12 2000 in Algiers of a global peace accord in which Addis Ababa and Asmara agreed to accept as final and binding the ruling of a boundary commission on the delineation of their shared border.
But in September, the Ethiopian government rejected the commission’s ruling, mainly because it attributed the highly symbolic border village of Badme to Eritrea.
”We understand the difficulties of the Ethiopian government to convince their people to implement the border commission decision.
”As far as we are concerned the commission’s decision is final and binding,” said Schroeder.
”Even though we are saying ‘final and binding’ in a legal sense, peace should come peacefully through dialogue and consensus,” he said, adding that Germany and the European Union ”will work with both countries for peaceful end of the dispute”.
Said Meles: ”We have agreed with the chancellor on the need for dialogue in order to bring peace and avoid the escalation of anti-peace activities.”
Eritrea, however, has rejected the idea of dialogue, insisting the onus lies with Ethiopia to comply with the border commission’s ruling.
Meles and Schroeder also signed a mutual investment guarantee agreement under which the two states will insure the assets of their nationals investing in each country.
Several German companies in Ethiopia had their assets nationalised during the era of Mengistu Haile Mariam (1974 to 1991).
The chancellor is due to fly to Kenya later on Monday. His trip is also scheduled to take in South Africa and Ghana. — Sapa-AFP