Annan appoints deputy special representative for Eritrea and Ethiopia

UNITED NATIONS, May 25, 2005 (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Wednesday appointed the ambassador of Benin, Joel Adechi, his deputy special representative for Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a bloody 2 1/2-year border war that ended in December 2000. The dispute over the 1,000-kilometer-long (621-mile-long) border has never been settled, and 3,800 U.N. peacekeepers currently patrol the area.

Adechi has been Benin’s U.N. ambassador since 1999 and represents his country on the Security Council. He will join Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, a Namibian who is Annan’s special representative, in early June.