U.S. Secretary of State says Ethiopia conflict must end and peace negotiations start

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken looks on as U.S. President Joe Biden is in a meeting with Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Italy's President Sergio Mattarella in the Presidential palace, Rome, Italy, October 29, 2021. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/Files

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday the fighting in Ethiopia had to end and peace negotiations should start immediately without any preconditions.

"The conflict in Ethiopia must come to an end. Peace negotiations should begin immediately without preconditions in pursuit of a ceasefire," he said on Twitter.

(Reporting by George Obulutsa; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)