Ethiopia, Eritrea trade insults over border impasse

September 10, 2007 (ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia) — Government officials in Ethiopia Monday blamed Eritrea for a stalemate in the latest attempt to resolve a long-standing border dispute.

Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin said last week’s collapse of talks at the Hague over a disputed border town had come to an impasse. The two countries and the border commission have been trying to resolve the claims over the town, Badme, and border militarization since the last war between the two countries ended in 2000. The commission is due to be dissolved in November if no progress is made.

“The aim was to achieve a breakthrough in a long-standing stalemate we have witnessed,” he said. “But unfortunately, no such breakthrough has been achieved. Eritrea has troops stationed within the security zone that divides the two countries.”

“They cannot continue violating the cessation of hostilities agreements and then press for demarcation,” he said.

Eritrean officials weren’t immediately available for comment but on Friday released their own press release accusing Ethiopia of stonewalling.

Eritrea, which fought a bloody war for independence from Ethiopia that ended in 1993 and another war from 1998-2000, said it offered “full cooperation” to the U.N.-backed boundary commission and that Ethiopia accused it of “various wrong things, most of which are completely irrelevant to the demarcation proceedings.”

One of the international officials involved in the meeting said the Eritreans had made compromises and their account was fairly accurate.

The simmering dispute has led to fears of a new war, and some observers say the two nations are already engaged in a proxy fight, in Somalia.

On Saturday, a top U.S. official said Eritrea was aiding rebel fighters in Somalia, where Ethiopian troops are helping the U.N. backed government battle an Islamic insurgency.

(AP)