Washington
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced hope that diplomacy would succeed in halting a deadly war in Ethiopia after major rebel advances.
“I believe that all sides see the dangers of perpetuating the conflict,” Blinken told reporters amid efforts by former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo as well as US envoy Jeffrey Feltman.
“We are hopeful that, given the important work that president Obasanjo is engaged in—the efforts that we’re making and others who are engaged—that there is still a window to pull back and to move this to a better place,” Blinken said.
He hoped for negotiations to halt the violence and “ultimately to produce a ceasefire, to have access for humanitarian assistance and, over time, to negotiate a more durable political resolution.”—APP
