ADDIS ABABA (Jan. 14) XINHUA - The Organization of African Unity (OAU) is upbeat towards the peace settlement of the 20-month Ethio-Eritrean border conflict, the Addis Tribune newspaper reported Friday.

The African organization has responded adequately to Ethiopia's request for clarifications of technical arrangement designed to solve the conflict peacefully, an unidentified OAU official was quoted as saying.

After all the detailed clarifications made by the OAU to Ethiopia, it will be surprising if war is to resume, the official said, adding that the clarifications should enable Ethiopia to have the confidence to sign the peace plan.

The technical arrangement is part of the OAU peace settlement plans that also include the framework agreement and the modalities.

Ethiopia has so far accepted the latter two while refusing to accept the former, alleging that the technical arrangement, failing to be consistent with the framework agreement and the modalities, amounts to "appeasement".

Ethiopia asked the OAU to clarify the technical arrangement last August.

Informed sources said that the OAU, which offered Ethiopia its revised peace plan before the end of last year, is waiting for response from Ethiopia.

Eritrea has announced to accept the OAU's package peace plan. According to OAU officials, the largest African organization has made unreserved efforts to involve the warring Ethiopia and Eritrea in a constructive peace process.

The two Horn of Africa neighbors have been at war since May 1998. The sustained border conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives from both sides.