Nearly one month since a border dispute flared between Eritrea and Ethiopia there has been no sign of a softening of rhetoric from either side.

The disputed area concerns a triangle of land 400 kilometres square which both countries claim as their own.

In the Eritrean capital Asmara the people do not want a war. And many do not believe it will happen.

At Asmara's Catholic Cathedral, the priest who is about to take the evening Mass says he will add a prayer for peace, just as he did one week ago.

It is not as if Eritrea's small capital feels on the brink of war; in fact it is just the opposite.

On this particular evening the atmosphere in the centre of the city feels as relaxed as it could possibly be. After hearing for three weeks warnings that Eritrea could soon be at war with Ethiopia, the inhabitants of Asmara seem to believe that it is less and less likely to happen.

The talk has been going on for too long and nothing has changed, the priest at the cathedral says.

A few days ago Eritrean war veterans, volunteering their help once again, were reported to have been transported to the border area in dispute.

But a young barman in Asmara, standing outside in the evening sun, said that he wouldn't fight and there shouldn't be a war. Nevertheless, the barman was in no doubt that Eritrea was right in claiming the area of land as its own.

He said the border was quite clear and he didn't know why Ethiopia was disputing it. The quarrel between Eritrea and Ethiopia has sent international mediators scurrying between the two capitals.