US urges Eritrea, Ethiopia to resume border talks

May 30, 2006 (WASHINGTON) — The State Department urged Eritrea and Ethiopia on Tuesday to resume negotiations toward settling their border dispute.

At a recent meeting of the Ethiopia-Eritrean Boundary Commission (EEBC) in London 17 May, the U.S. backed an initiative asking the two sides to establish the boundary and resume normal relations.

The U.S. attended the meeting in its role as a “witness” to the 2000 agreement aimed at settling the conflict between the two neighbors.

“The United States has encouraged the parties to cooperate with the EEBC and resume demarcation,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

“We have urged other governments to support this position and, as necessary, provide resources to support demarcation”, The Associated Press reported.

US role in Eritrea Ethiopia border conflict is more and more increasing, observer noticed.

On 22 May the United States on Monday proposed to the UN Security Council cutting troops from the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Eritrea and Ethiopia as a way to pressure the rivals into settling their border at last.

“Our view remains that we should downsize (the peacekeeping force) to an observer mission,” U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said.

But some say if the UN force is downgraded to an observer mission, it can’t provide security for border demarcation as it is stipulated in the October 2000 Algiers Agreement.

During the last London meeting, Ethiopia accepted demarcation principle but insists problem arising during the process should be discussed with the EEBC’s arbitrage. Eritrea rejects the proposition saying Algiers Agreement ruling out dialogue.

In the next meeting of 17 June, parties have to fix this question and set up a demarcation office in accordance with the signed agreement.

(ST)