In his opening address, President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso called on the leaders of both countries to put dialogue before guns, and make new efforts to resolve the conflict peacefully.

He also paid tribute to President Nelson Mandela of South Africa, attending his last summit before he retires. President Mandela is one of more than twenty African heads of state attending the summit.

Urgent airlift

The BBC's Cathy Jenkins in Asmara: "a logistical nightmare"

Further international efforts to calm the fighting between Ethiopia and Eritrea got underway in earnest at the weekend as nearly 2,000 foreign nationals were airlifted from the Eritrean capital Asmara following an escalation of the border dispute between the two countries.

BBC Correspondent Jane Standley: "Ethiopians are sad and confused about the situation"

Nearly 60 staff and dependents evacuated from Eritrean diplomatic missions in Ethiopia have also been flown out to Egypt.

Foreign governments in Eritrea are taking no risks, with the German embassy the latest of the foreign missions in Asmara to decide to close.

International efforts

Passports are checked as foreigners flee from Asmara

The international efforts to stop the conflict are focusing on a US - Rwandan proposal to end the border dispute which has sparked the present crisis.

The United States said it would be sending an American official back to Eritrea and Ethiopia to speed up the peace efforts, but when the visits will take place is not clear.

Director of Eritrean president's office, Ghebre Yemane: "Eritrea has done all it can to reduce tensions"

The Eritrean Government said it supported the US-Rwandan proposal when it was presented several days ago, but that details still had to be worked out.

The BBC correspondent in Asmara, Cathy Jenkins, says that although the situation in the city was calm on Sunday, there was no sign yet that either government was preparing to back down.

The lull in the fighting, with both sides refraining from further air raids, allowed the continued evacuation of foreign nationals and diplomats.

The foreign nationals were airlifted out of Asmara on Saturday night after the governments reportedly agreed to a temporary cease-fire for evacuation.