The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia, Francois Lonseny Fall, met in Asmara with President Isaias Afewerki of Eritrea today on the second leg of his seven-nation mission to promote peace and reconciliation in Somalia.

Ambassador Fall raised a number of issues with a view to avoiding any further deterioration in the present Somalia situation. Among the issues covered was the question of IGASOM deployment, and the importance of the scheduled Khartoum peace talks on 30 October.

Amb Fall held separate meetings in Addis Ababa yesterday with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia and Amb. Said Djinnit, Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union (AU). He also plans to visit Djibouti, Egypt, Sudan, Uganda and Yemen for consultations with their respective leaders.