Ethiopian ambassador responds to news reports on border situation
Embassy of Ethiopia
Dec 21, 2005 (WASHINGTON) – His Excellency Kassahun Ayele, the Ethiopian Ambassador to the United States, has responded to recent news reports regarding the dispute over the border between his country and Eritrea. From 1998 to 2000, the two countries fought a border war that came to an end with the Algiers Agreement, which laid the foundations for a procedure to determine the proper demarcation of the border.
Within the last few weeks, the UN Security Council has spoken out on the situation, Eritrea has expelled personnel sent by the United Nations to monitor the border, and Ethiopia is pulling its military forces farther from the border. This week, the Eritrea-Ethiopia Claims Commission in the Hague ruled “that Eritrea violated … the Charter of the United Nations by resorting to armed force to attack and occupy Badme … and is liable to compensate Ethiopia for the damages caused by that violation of international law.”
“Given these recent events, we object to the characterization in the news media that Ethiopia is playing brinkmanship games with Eritrea,” said Ambassador Ayele. “Ethiopia does not want to engage in any policy or action that would result in renewed war. Our goal is to seek a peaceful and lasting solution to the border dispute and, through dialogue and discussion, address the root causes of the tension between our two countries.”
The Ambassador noted that his government has developed a five-point peace plan aimed at bringing the dispute to a permanent and peaceful end:
“The five elements are,” the Ambassador said, “(1) Resolve the dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea only and only through peaceful means. (2) Resolve the root causes of the conflict through dialogue with the view to normalizing relations between the two countries. (3) Ethiopia accepts, in principle, the Ethiopia-Eritrea Boundary Commission decision. (4) Ethiopia agrees to pay its dues to the Ethiopia-Eritrea Boundary Commission and to appoint field liaison officers. And (5) start dialogue immediately with the view to implementing the Ethiopia-Eritrea Boundary Commission’s decision in a manner consistent with the promotion of sustainable peace and brotherly ties between the two peoples.”
The Ambassador added that “Ethiopia’s firm policy is to work with the international community, including organizations like the United Nations and friendly nations such as the United States, to pursue a constructive path that will lead to resolution of the dispute with our neighbor in a peaceful and fraternal manner.” Ethiopia, he said, has been cooperating with the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) by providing access for its personnel and allowing them to travel unimpeded in their efforts to do their jobs. Recent news reports have indicated that such cooperation has not been provided by the Eritrean government.
“I wish to emphasize,” Ambassador Ayele continued, “that Ethiopia is interested in lasting peace. Demarcation of the border is important not as an end in itself but as an important step to stability and lasting peace.”
For more information about Ethiopia’s policy of peaceful relations with its neighbors, please visit the Ethiopian Embassy’s web site at http://www.ethiopianembassy.org.
CONTACT:
– Press Office, Embassy of Ethiopia
202-364-1200
– URL: www.ethiopianembassy.org