Ethiopia: State Minister Meets With UK Foreign Office Director General for Political

State Minister, Ambassador Berhane today (May 1) met and held discussions with UK Foreign Office Director General for Political, Simon Gass. The discussions covered pressing issues including recent developments in Somalia, the Sudans and preparations for the upcoming London Conference on Somalia.
On Somalia, Ambassador Berhane underlined that although significant and encouraging progress had been made, the international community had to push on in an effort to consolidate these hard-fought gains. Ambassador Gass emphasized the importance of making sure the world's focus remained on Somalia during these crucial moments and highlighted the London Conference as a golden opportunity to re-focus the agenda and garner greater support for Somalia.
Ambassador Gass also notified the State Minister of the UK's decision to extend an invitation to President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya so as to facilitate his attendance at the London Conference. Ambassador Gass thanked Ethiopia for their encouragement in inviting the newly elected President of Kenya, with the country being an important player in Somalia's current situation.
On the Sudans, Ambassadors Berhane and Gass discussed how best to continue to support the peace process, namely the implementation of the agreements signed last September in Addis. Ambassador Gass expressed his thanks to Ethiopia for all that the country had done in support of the mediation between the two countries. The meeting concluded with a discussion on the bilateral relations between the two countries, namely the impressive success of DFiD funded development programmes in the country.http://allafrica.com/stories/201305020019.html