Mr Johansen is on a round trip in the region. He arrives directly from Nairobi were he has been co-chairing the International Contact Group meeting on Somalia. On Tuesday Mr. Johansen held talks with President Isayas Afeworki in Asmara, and he also met the Egyptian Foreign Minister in Cairo.
– The Norwegian Government is seriously concerned with the recent regional developments, says the Norwegian Ambassador to Ethiopia, Mr. Jens-Petter Kjemprud in a comment, adding that the current situation in Somalia and on the Ethio-Eritrean border calls for concerted international attention.
Mr Johansen will also hold talks with Commissioner Said Djinnit in the African Union on the Darfur crisis and other regional issues.
Royal Norwegian Embassy, Addis Ababa
19 October 2006
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