Ethiopia says Sudan ties healthy despite frontier incident

Ethiopia said it maintained healthy ties with Sudan after
accusations that its troops had crossed their common frontier,
killing 19 people.

13 July, 2008

ADDIS ABABA - Ethiopia said Sunday it maintained healthy ties with Sudan after accusations that its troops had crossed their common frontier, killing 19 people.

"Ethiopia and Sudan have an excellent and strategic relationship," said the Ethiopian foreign ministry in a statement. Their ties were "healthy, strong and steadily expanding," the statement added.

"This does not mean, as in all border areas, that incidents may not occur. It does mean that when they do arise, as happened on Monday, they can be handled promptly and at the highest level, with both sides making every effort to ensure they should be contained and dealt with quickly.

"That is why a Sudanese presidential envoy has arrived in Addis Ababa," it added.

Addis Ababa has denied claims made on Tuesday by Sudan's army spokesman that Ethiopian forces had attacked a police base 17 kilometres (11 miles) inside Sudanese territory, killing 19 people, including a police officer.

The army spokesman gave no reason for the attack in the Jabal Hantub area of Gedaref state, which lies on the northern part of the long international border. - AFP