Annan hails pledge by Ethiopia, Eritrea to free remaining prisoners of war

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today welcomed the commitment by Ethiopia and Eritrea to release all remaining prisoners of war (POWs).

The pledge to set free some 1,300 Eritrean and 300 Ethiopian POWs "will no doubt contribute to the successful implementation of the peace process between the two countries," a spokesman for the Secretary-General said in a statement.

The commitments, which follow the Third Geneva Convention and the Algiers peace agreement of 12 December 2000 between the two countries, were made to the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Jacob Kellenberger, during his current visit to the region.