ETHIOPIAN PRIME MINISTER MELES ZENAWI SAID THURSDAY THAT TALKS ON THE DISPUTED BORDER WITH ERITREA, SCHEDULED FOR LATE THIS WEEK, WERE CRUCIAL IF THE PEACE PROCESS - STALLED FOR THREE YEARS OVER THE DEMARCATION OF THE BORDER - WAS TO GET BACK ON TRACK, DPA REPORTED. HE SAID THE INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY COMMISSION UNDER WHOSE AUSPICES THE LONDON MEETING FROM 28 TO 29 APRIL IS BEING HELD, HAD ASKED THE PARTIES TO NAME THEIR RESPECTIVE SPECIAL ADVISORS TO THE COMMISSION AND ALSO TO COME WITH SPECIFIC PROPOSALS FOR DEMARCATING THE DISPUTED BORDER. IT WAS THE HAGUE-BASED ORIGINAL INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY COMMISSION, WHICH DECIDED ON DEMARCATION OF THE BORDER IN 2002, THAT INVITED THE TWO SIDES TO MEET WITH COMMISSION'S MEMBERS IN LONDON. BOTH SIDES HAD FOUGHT A BITTER WAR OVER THE BORDER BETWEEN 1998 AND 2000. THE MEETING WAS BEING CONVENED AT THE BEHEST OF THE UNITED STATES AFTER THE ONE HELD A MONTH AGO IN LONDON, AT EXPERTS' LEVEL WITH INTERNATIONAL MEDIATORS, FAILED TO MAKE A BREAKTHROUGH ON MARKING ON THE GROUND THE DISPUTED BORDER IN LINE WITH THE DECISION OF THE BOUNDARY COMMISSION. "WE CONSIDER THE LONDON MEETING TO BE IMPORTANT, AND WE'RE GOING THERE WITH AN OPEN MIND," MELEES SAID AT A PRESS CONFERENCE THURSDAY. --MORE 2347 Local Time 2047 GMT
