Addis Ababa - Ethiopia's main opposition parties said on Monday that preliminary talks with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, aimed at defusing tensions in the wake of controversial elections, were cordial and fruitful. The talks focused on the opposition's differences with the government over charges that the ruling EPRDF Party fraudulently won the country's mid-May elections. During the initial talks on Sunday, which lasted for nearly four hours, the parties outlined their positions on what the talks should entail. The talks were described as "cordial, business-like and fruitful" by Dr Beyene Petros, chair of the Union of Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF). "It was agreed to continue the discussions on Tuesday to decide on the framework with which to conduct the talks," Dr Berhanu Nega, an executive of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party (CUDP), said.

Source: Ethiopian News September 13, 2017 11:03 UTC