Minister Ahern urges Ethiopian PM to begin peace talks

The Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern has offered the Government's help in starting a peace process in Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is in conflict with opposition parties who contested last year's election, and were jailed as a result.

Minister Ahern is in Ethiopia, meeting with both sides, to determine how this conflict may affect Irish aid to the region.

He urged Prime Minster Zenawi to begin peace talks with the opposition before violence in Ethiopia escalates.