Ethiopian Review

Addis Ababa — Prime Minister Meles Zenawi says Ethiopia has been working closely with the UN in ameliorating the problem of food shortage in some places in the country.

The prime minister on Monday received and held talks with John Holmes, the head of the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The talks between the prime minister and the under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief centered on issues related to humanitarian relief operations in Ethiopia and the situation in Sudan’s Darfur region.

Prime Minister Meles on the occasion said improvements have come about in the joint efforts of the Ethiopian government, OCHA and other humanitarian agencies to ameliorate food shortage situations in some parts of the country especially in the Somali Regional State.

Meles said complaints humanitarian organizations operating in the Somali regional state used to make concerning security situation has now been fully solved. He said the coordinated activities between Ethiopia and OCHA have come to be successful.

The prime minister also expressed satisfaction that apprehension about a humanitarian crisis after the Sudanese government had given orders for expulsion of 13 of the NGOs operating in Darfur did not come about.

Holmes on his part said humanitarian situations in the Sudan have shown marked improvement.

He said the sense of cooperation being demonstrated by the government of Sudan was also commendable.

- ENA