[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 25 (Monday, June 26, 2000)]
[Page 1394]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

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Statement on the Ethiopia-Eritrea Cease-Fire Agreement

June 18, 2000

    Today in Algiers, Ethiopia and Eritrea signed an agreement to cease 
hostilities. This

is a breakthrough which can and should end the tragic conflict in the 
Horn of Africa. It can and should permit these two countries to realize 
their potential in peace, instead of squandering it in war.
    I commend the Organization of African Unity, and especially its 
chair, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, for leading the 
negotiation of this agreement. I am grateful to my envoy, former 
National Security Adviser Anthony Lake, to Assistant Secretary of State 
Susan Rice, and to my senior adviser on African affairs, Gayle Smith, 
for their tireless pursuit of a peaceful resolution to this conflict. 
The United States has supported the OAU in this effort, and we will 
continue to do so. I have asked Tony Lake to return to Algiers to work 
with the OAU as we enter the next round of negotiations.
    I hope this commitment by Ethiopia and Eritrea to stop the fighting 
also signals their commitment to build the peace. I urge them to use the 
next round of talks to produce a final, comprehensive, lasting 
agreement, so they can get on with the work of pursuing democracy and 
development for their people. Ethiopia and Eritrea are America's 
friends. If they are ready to take the next step, we and our partners in 
the international community will walk with them.